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Glass _ 
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Farmers' Guide 



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PUBLISHED BY 

GERMAN KALI WORKS, 

93 NASSAU STREET, 

NEW YORK. 



.G-37 



NOTICE. 

This book will be sent Free of Charge to any farmer who 
applies for it. 

Potash in Agriculture, 

Cotton Culture, 

Tobacco Culture, 
Principles of Profitable Farming, 

are other publications ^zluable to farmers, copies of which will 
be sent, free on npplicaaor. , hy { addnjssir.'g 

; \ ; '< ( c « \ 7 ; \ : Addressing, 

GFRiv_AN K^LI WORKS, 
<,,;',,''<' 95 Nassau Street, New York City. 



INDEX. 

PAGE 

Preface 7 

Introduction 9 

Fertilizers and their Sources n 

Green M an uring _ 21 

When to apply Fertilizers 22 

Alfalfa 25 

Almond 27 

Apples 28 

Artichoke 32 

Asparagus 33 

Barley 38 

Beans 39 

Beets 41 

Beets-Sugar 42 

Blackberry 44 

Broom Corn 46 

Buckwheat 47 

Cabbage 48 

Canteloupe . . . , 50 

Carrot 50 

Cassava 51 

Castor Bean 51 

Celery 53 

Cherry 54 

Chicory. 56 

Chuf a 56 

Clover — Alsike t . , . , t ,.,,.,.,,«, f 57 



INDEX— Continued- 

PEGE 

Clover — Crimson 58 

Clover — Japan 59 

Clover — Red 60 

Clover — Sweet 62 

Clover — White 62 

Cocoanut — Palm 65 

Corn — Indian 65 

Cotton 69 

Cow Peas 73 

Cranberry 75 

Cucumbers 75 

Currants 76 

Dewberry 76 

Egg Plant 76 

Endive 77 

Figs 77 

Flax 78 

Ginger 79 

Gooseberry 80 

Grapes 80 

Grasses 83 

Hemp 88 

Hops 89 

Horseradish 90 

Jute 91 

Kaffir Corn 91 

Kale 92 

Lettuce 92 



INDEX— Continued. 

t>AGE 

Lucerne 93 

Lupine 93 

Mangel Wurzel 94 

Melons 94 

Millets.... 95 

Mint 97 

Mustard 97 

Oats 98 

Olive 101 

Onions 102 

Oranges and Lemons 105 

Parsnips 106 

Peach and Almond 106 

Peanuts no 

Pears 113 

Peas 113 

Pineapples 114 

Plums 117 

Potatoes — Irish 118 

Potatoes — Sweet 122 

Quinces 125 

Radishes 126 

Ramie 127 

Rape 128 

Raspberries 129 

Rhubarb 129 

Rice 130 

Rye 133 



INDEX— Continued 

PAGE 

Salsify * 134 

Soiling Crops 134 

Sorghum 136 

Soy Bean. 137 

Spinach 137 

Spurry 138 

Strawberries 141 

Sugar Cane 142 

Sunflower 143 

Teosinte 144 

Tobacco 145 

Tomatoes 146 

Trees and Shrubs — (Nursery) 149 

Turnips , 150 

Vetches 151 

Velvet Bean 152 

Wheat , 155 

Distance for Planting Trees /. 157 



PREFACE. 

IT is now five years since a little book entitled " Farmer's 
Guide " was first published, and put in the hands of 
our farmers. The book was a success from the first. It 
seemed to be just what the farmer needed as a " Guide to 
Profitable Farming." 

All this has been shown by the steady demand for this 
book from farmers everywhere — from Maine to California, 
from Canada to Mexico and even from planters in Europe 
and other foreign countries. Up to date more than 225,000 
copies of the book have been printed and distributed. 

The present edition of the " Farmer's Guide," is differ- 
ent from the former edition in many ways. It has been 
largely rewritten ; many important parts and facts have 
been added, and in other respects the book has been greatly 
improved. 

In conclusion, we hope that this book will prove useful 
in the hands of our farmers, and that it may guide them in 
producing the largest and best crops. 



INTRODUCTION. 

DURING the past twenty-five years, farmers have paid 
more and more attention to increasing their crops by 
the use of the all important plant-foods which are supplied 
by fertilizers. The result has been the raising of larger 
and better crops, a material improvement of the farm itself, 
and a bettered financial and social standing of the farmer. 

The chief object of this handbook is briefly to present 
various facts concerning the need and use of fertilizers in 
growing different kinds of grain, fruit and vegetables. Some 
farmers still have vague and uncertain ideas about the use 
of fertilizers : they above all others need to study the com- 
position and nature of their soils and the requirements of 
each crop cultivated. In the following pages, special atten- 
tion is given to the fertilizer requirements of each indi- 
vidual crop, and illustrations given by quoting freely from 
the official bulletins and reports of the experiment sta- 
tions of the various states. The practical results obtained 
at the different experiment stations and by successful 
farmers, as set forth in this book, furnish reliable and wise 
instruction to those who wish to learn. 



FERTILIZERS AND THEIR SOURCES. 

THE various artificial manures, called fertilizers, have 
come into general use since the year 1840. In that 
year the famous German Chemist, Baron Von Liebig, pub- 
lished his epoch-making book on agricultural chemistry. 
Every farmer should bear in mind the principles underlying 
the use of commercial fertilizers, which were first defined 
by Liebig, as follows : 

(1) "A soil can be termed fertile only when it contains 
all the materials requisite for the nutrition of plants in the 
required quantity and in the proper form. 

(2) " With every crop a part of these ingredients is re- 
moved. A part of this part is added again from the inex- 
haustible store of the atmosphere ; another part, however, 
is lost forever if not replaced by man. 

(3) "The fertility of the soil remains unchanged if all 
the ingredients of the crop are given back to the land. Such 
a restitution is effected by manure. (It may be stated that 
there is some loss due to leaching and a change of avail- 
ability of food applied). 

(4) "The manure produced in the course of husbandry 
is not sufficient to maintain permanently the fertility of a 
farm. It lacks the constituents which are annually ex- 
ported in the shape of grain, hay, milk and live stock." 

Practical experience has proved that, as a rule, Nitro- 



12 FARMERS GUIDE. 

gen, Phosphoric Acid and Potash are the substances most 
needed to be applied to soils, to make or to keep them 
fertile, and that many soils are improved by the mere 
addition of lime. In conjunction with these elements, soils 
must contain a certain amount of humus or decayed organic 
matter, to maintain them in a proper mechanical condition. 



NITROGEN* 

Nitrogen is necessary for the production of protoplasm, 
(the physical basis of life). Without it there can be no 
plant growth ; it is a powerful stimulant, and, when present 
in excess, causes a rapid and excessive, but watery and 
unnatural growth, which is made at the expense of fruit- 
fulness. Too much nitrogen on wheat shows its ill-effects 
in such a rank growth of the plant, and, later, of straw, as 
to be unable to sustain its excessive weight until the grain 
is matured ; on cotton, by great growth of plant and but 
few blossoms, which mature fewer bolls ; on fruit trees by 
a rapid and sappy growth which produces little fruit. 

Leguminous crops, (such as clover, beans, peas, etc.) 
draw their supply of nitrogen from the air, and, therefore 
an artificial application of nitrogen fertilizer to this class of 
plants is rarely needed. 

The more common sources of nitrogen in commercial 
fertilizers are nitrate of soda, cotton seed meal, sul- 
phate of ammonia, dried blood and tankage. Fish scrap, 
castor pomace and other materials are also used. 



FARMERS GUIDE. 13 

The nitrogen in nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia 
acts a little more quickly than that in dried blood, tankage 
and the organic substances. Being easily soluble, it is best 
to use nitrate of soda as top dressing at time of planting, 
or in case of wheat, when active growth begins in April — 
other nitrogenous fertilizers may safely be applied at time 
of planting — the nitrogen will become available as it is 
needed by the growing plant. The following table gives 
the composition of the more common nitrogenous fer- 
tilizers' 



COMPOSITION OF MATERIALS USED AS 
SOURCES OF NITROGEN- 

EQUIVALENT PHOS. 

TO POTASH ACID 

NITROGEN. AMMONIA. K 2 0. TOTAL. 

Nitrate of Soda 15 to 16 18 to ig>£ ■ 

Sulphate of Ammonia 19 to 22 23 to 26 

Dried Blood (high grade) 12 to 14^ 14^ to 17^ 2 to 3 

Dried Blood (low grade) 10 to n 12 to 14^ i^to 2 

Tankage 5 to 9 6 to n 9 to 16 

Dried Fish Scrap 7 to 8 8% to g% 8 to 9 

Cotton Seed Meal 6% to 7)4 7% to 9 xYz to 2 2 to 3 

Castor Pomace 5 to 6 6 to 7 1 to i}4 i>£ to 2 

Tobacco Stems 2^ to 4 3 to 4^ 5 to 8 Yj to 1 



PHOSPHORIC ACID. 

Phosphoric acid is necessary for the healthy growth of 
plants, and is essential to the best production of straw and 
seed. Its deficiency in a soil is shown by the want of vigor 
in its plant life. To produce its full effect, however, it 
must be used on a soil already rich in nitrogen, or be asso- 



14 FARMERS GUIDE. 

ciated with nitrogen in the fertilizer ; otherwise it will pro- 
duce a tall, pale and spindling growth of straw with very 
small increase of grain or fruit. It has a marked effect in 
hastening maturity and should be used freely on all crops 
which it is desired to ripen early. 

The principal commercial sources of phosphoric acid are 
raw phosphate rock, acid phosphate, or dissolved phos- 
phate rock, dissolved bone black, bone meal, dissolved bone 
and Thomas slag. In ground phosphate rock, or floats and 
bone black, the phosphoric acid is insoluble or unavailable, 
so that these materials produce effects very slowly. They 
are used occasionally for composts, but cannot be recom- 
mended for direct application to the soil. Bone black, and 
raw phosphates are treated with sulphuric acid, which 
renders the phosphoric acid soluble, and the material is 
then known under the general name of superphosphate, 
or acid phosphate. All phosphoric acid, when once avail- 
able, is of equal value ; phosphoric acid in dissolved rock 
to that from dissolved bone, and there is no difference 
as to value on account of the source from which it is 
derived. 

In the following table is given the composition of the 
more common phosphatic fertilizers. Acid phosphate and 
dissolved bone and bone-black also contain large quantities 
of lime, which is valuable on such soils as would be im- 
proved by the use of land plaster, while dissolved bone also 
contains nitrogen, which gives it an additional value. 



FARMERS GUIDE. 17 

COMPOSITION OF MATERIALS USED AS 
SOURCES OF PHOSPHORIC ACID. 

EQUIVALENT 
AVAIL- INSOL- TO POTASH 

TOTAL. ABLE. UBLE. NITROGEN. AMMONIA. K a O. 

Acid Phosphate 16 to 19 151017 1 to 2 - 

Carolina Phos. Rock. 26 to 27 261027 

Dissolved Bone Black 17 to 19 15 to 18 1 to 2 

Bone Meal 20 to 25 5 to 8 . 15 to 17 2^ to 4^ 3 to 5^ 

Dissolved Bone 15 to 17 13' to 15 2 to 3 '2 to 3 2^ to 3^ 

Thomas Slag - 221024 221024 

Peruvian Guano 12 to 15 7 to 8 5 to 8 6 to 10 7^ to 12. 1% to 4 

In the above table but a small part of the phosphoric 
acid in bone meal, and none of that in Thomas slag, is 
classed as available, for, while it is true that these carriers 
of phosphoric acid show but little solubility under the 
methods of analysis generally applied to phosphates; 
nevertheless, they rank with apparently available phos- 
phates when finely ground. The explanation is that the 
animal matter in bone meal favors rapid decay, and that 
the phosphoric acid in Thomas slag exists in a different 
form from that in material derived from bone or rock. In 
actual practice, the phosphoric acid in this slag is found to 
furnish food for the growing plant. 



POTASH, 

Potash is found in large proportion^ in all plants. It is 
essential to the production of starch fiber and the growing 
parts of the plant ; without it there cannot be full develop- 
ment of plant or seed. In combination with Nitrogen and 
Phosphoric acid, Potash contributes to the full and perfect 
development of plants. Excess of potash does not show 



15 FARMERS GUIDE. 

any special effect on the plant, but a weakened growth, a 
lack of fruitfulness, and especially a slow and unsatisfactory 
development of starch and woody fiber follows its deficiency 
in the soil. 

The greatest potash supply in the world is found at 
Stassfurt, Germany, where soluble potash salts are mined in 
large quantities. Muriate of Potash is the cheapest form 
of Potash, but not best suited for certain crops, like 
Tobacco and Oranges. Then Sulphate of Potash, or the 
sulphate of potash and magnesia, should be used. Kainit 
is another potash salt containing chlorine, and is especially 
valuable for use on sandy soils, not only for its fertilizing 
qualities, but also for its peculiar property of retaining 
moisture, and its power of destroying insect life and pre- 
venting plant diseases, such as Cotton Blight. It is valued 
highly on the cotton lands of the south. 

Wood ashes are also a valuable source of potash, though 
the amount contained is small and variable. Ashes made 
on the place should be kept dry and used on the heavier 
soils. When potash must be purchased it is less expensive 
in the German salts than in ashes. 

One fact, clearly demonstrated by the work of the 
Experiment Stations, is that " soda cannot take the place of 
potash as a form of plant food." Plants cannot grow with- 
out potash, but are indifferent to the presence of soda, 
indeed they can thrive in a soil which contains no soda at 
all. When potash is lacking, no amount of soda will pro- 
duce growth. 



FARMERS GUIDE. 



19 



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20 FARMERS GUIDE. 

Potash in the form of wood ashes and cottonseed huli 
ashes consists largely as Carbonate of Potash. Carbonate 
of Potash is useful as plant food, but cannot safely be 
mixed with organic nitrogenous fertilizer materials, as this 
form of Potash rapidly decomposes organic matter, accom- 
panied by more or less loss of ammonia. 



LIME. 

Lime improves the condition of swampy and peaty soils, 
which consist largely of humus and are consequently rich in 
nitrogen, but this nitrogen is unavailable, owing to the slow 
decay of the humus in some of these soils, so lime furnishes 
the conditions necessary for a more rapid decay. Such soils 
sometimes need phosphoric acid and potash as well as lime. 

Lime also performs a valuable office in the sweetening 
of soils. When a soil betrays excess of acid, by turning 
blue litmus paper red, lime is needed. It also makes 
heavy clays light and more porous, and renders the plant 
food in them, as well as in muck, more available. Quick- 
lime, marl and burnt oyster shells are the more common 
source of lime. To produce the results above noted quick- 
lime from stone or oyster shells is more effective. 



STABLE MANURE, 

Barnyard or stable manure is often regarded by farmers 
as being a " complete fertilizer," and the only fertilizer 
needed on any soil. This is correct only so far as such 
manure contains all three of the fertilizing elements, but 



FARMERS GUIDE. 2 1 

they are rarely found in the proportions needed by different 
crops. There is usually an excess of nitrogen and not 
enough phosphoric acid and potash. When stable manure 
is allowed to decompose by exposure to the weather, a large 
part of the nitrogen, its most valuable element of plant 
food, is lost in the form of ammonia. This loss, however, 
can be largely prevented by scattering Kainit over the 
surface of the manure as it accumulates, using about one 
pound per day for each cow or horse, or for each eight 
head of sheep, The kainit will save more than its cost in 
the value of the nitrogen it prevents from escaping in the 
form of ammonia gas, and w T ill still possess all its original 
value as a plant food. When stable manure is treated in 
this way, the addition of phosphoric acid will make it a 
complete fertilizer of the very highest quality. 

ANALYSES OF FARM MANURES. 
(From Bulletin j6 t Cornell Experiment Station.) 

Phosphoric 



Kind of 


Nitrogen 


Acid 


Potash 


Manure. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


Sheep 


.767 


•39 1 


•591 


Calves 


•497 


.172 


.532 


Pigs 


.84 


•39. 


•3* 


Cows 


.426 


.29 


.44 


Horses 


.49 


.26 


.48 



GREEN MANURING. 

Leguminous crops, such as peas, beans, alfalfas, vetches, 
clovers, cow-peas, etc., gather a part of their nitrogen from 
the atmosphere, w T hich circulates in the upper stratum of 
the soil. They accomplish this by means of microscopic 



2 2 FARMERS GUIDE. 

organisms which inhabit the small tubercles found on their 
roots. When plowed under, they not only furnish nitrogen 
to the soil, but also humus, which is equally important, 
The heavier the growth of the clover or pea crop, the larger 
will be the amount of nitrogen which it will gather, and of 
the yield of the succeeding crop. Any soil which has 
produced a heavy crop of clover or cow-peas, can be 
depended on the following season to produce a correspond- 
ingly heavy crop of corn or cotton. A rank growth of 
legumes can be secured on even barren soils by a liberal 
application of a fertilizer containing phosphoric acid and 
potash with a little nitrogen as a starter. It is much more 
profitable to use such fertilizers to secure a heavy growth 
of legumes than to have that crop starved, and these same 
fertilizers applied to the following crop. On sandy soils, 
and in a hot climate, it may not be advisable to plow under 
a heavy growth of these green plants as their rapid decay 
often causes a souring of the soil. However, such souring 
can usually be prevented by the application of from 30 to 
50 bushels of lime per acre just before the plowing is done. 
A more rational plan than the plowing under of these crops 
is to cut and feed them to live stock and return the manure 
to the land, as in this way both the feeding and the manurial 
value is secured. 

WHEN TO APPLY FERTILIZERS. 

It is often advisable to apply the mineral fertilizers, that 
is, phosphoric acid and potash, several weeks, or even 
months, before they are needed by the crops which they 



FARMERS GUIDE. 23 

are to benefit. Some of the more soluble nitrogenous fer- 
tilizers become available for plant food within a few days. 
Nitrogen, in the form of nitrates, is very soluble and readily 
leaches through the soil. Cotton seed meal decays very 
quickly, and if not consumed by growing plants, its nitro- 
gen is liable to be washed away by rains. Such materials 
should be used in the Spring, and are specially valuable for 
use as a top-dressing for crops which are in active growth. 
Fish-scrap, dried blood, tankage and similar materials 
decay much more slowly, and are often better just before 
planting. The less soluble forms of phosphoric acid, such 
as ground bone or Thomas Slag, should be applied in the 
Fall, while the more soluble forms, acid phosphate, dis- 
solved bone, etc., may be applied in the Spring. Phos- 
phoric acid will not leach through a heavy soil, but much 
of it may wash through sandy soils, on which a Spring 
application may prevent such loss. 

Potash is not so liable to leach through the soil, and it 
is often preferable to apply during the Fall, but if this time 
be not practicable, it should be made early in the Spring. 
When muriate of potash or kainit is to be used, the earlier 
application is often advantageous, as the potash will be 
held in the soil while the chlorine, which is injurious to 
tobacco and a few other crops, will be washed away. 

Stable manure should be applied whenever ready to be 
hauled away from the buildings. Decay adds nothing to 
its constituents, and, if allowed to decay in the yard and 
exposed to the weather, much of its value is lost. When 



FARMERS GUIDE. 

spread in the field, nearly all that is washed out of the 
manure by rains is caught and retained by the soil. If 
plowed under as soon as spread, the decay will be more 
rapid than when left on the surface. For cultivated crops, 
it is best to plow under in the Fall. At the North, where 
there is comparatively little rain in the Winter, and 
the ground is generally frozen, it is well to apply all 
fertilizers, except nitrogenous top-dressings, in the Fall. 
At the South, where winter rains are excessive and the 
ground is seldom frozen, fall plowing is rarely a good 
practice and nearly all fertilizers are more economically 
applied in the Spring. 



WHAT FERTILIZERS TO USE. 

The kind and amount of fertilizers which can be most 
economically used on a certain crop or on a certain soil, can 
be determined only by an actual test. Xo chemical anal- 

s of either the soil or the plant will show this accurate- 
ly. The kind of fertilizing needed will depend more u 
the natural character of the soil, its previous treatment, and 
its present mechanical condition, than upon the actual plant 
food taken up by the growing crop. The following sug- 
gest! s is to the amount and composition of the fertilize 
needed for different crops are based on the experience 
Experiment Stations, and of successful farmers in different 
parts of the country. The figures her given represent the 
averages which have been found most profitable on ordinary 
soils in fair condition. The kind and amount of fertilizer 



FARMERS GUIDE. 25 

required, depend in a measure on the preceding crop. 
Thus the crop following clover or cow peas needs less nitro- 
gen; while the one following the cereals, timothy, sorghum, 
or millet, demands a liberal supply. 

In nearly all cases, the amount of nitrogen needed de- 
pends on the kind of crop to be grown and what has pre- 
ceded it ; while the amounts of phosphoric acid and potash 
depend more on the natural character of the soil. In general 
a soil rich in lime, needs little phosphoric acid, and is 
greatly improved by potash, both of which are essential to 
the production of plentiful crops. Phosphoric Acid and 
Potash are fairly permanent and when an excess is applied 
they remain in the soil, available as food for future crops, 



ALFALFA. 
(Lucerne.) 

Alfalfa, or Lucerne, is a perennial, of the legume family, 
upright and branching, from one to three feet in 
height, with purple, pea-like flowers. 

Soil. It thrives best on a light, sandy loam, with loose 
subsoil and must have good drainage. It is easily injured 
by drouth, even though it sends down tap-roots, averaging 
from 10 to 12 feet, and profitably repays irrigation with 
the accompanying good drainage. 

Cultivation. The best results are obtained after the first 
year's growth, therefore, in planting Alfalfa, select land 
that may remain in grass several years. The young plants 
are tender, and easily smothered, so it is wise to plant after 



26 farmers' guide. 

a clean cultivated crop. After a deep plowing the soil 
must be thoroughly worked until pulverized smooth and 
even. Seed is usually sown in the spring in the north, but 
it needs to be delayed until the soil is thoroughly warmed. 
In the south the sowing must be early enough in the fall to 
give the young plants at least six weeks growth before 
frost. If sown for hay, more seed is used than if to be 
harvested for seed. There is little danger with closely 
growing plants of woody growth after the crop is established. 
If sown broadcast, from 20 to 25 pounds of seed per acre 
are required, but with a drill, 15 to 20 pounds are sufficient. 
Fertilizing. — Being a leguminous plant, Alfalfa is able 
to gather nitrogen from the air and to add value to the soil 
by leaving it there in its roots and stubble, to be absorbed 
in large quantities by the following crops. As is the case 
with all legumes, alfalfa is a heavy potash-feeder, for its 
chemical analysis shows nearly as much potash as nitrogen 
and nearly four times as much potash as phosphoric acid. 
An annual crop of four tons of cured hay per acre removes 
from the soil : 

Nitrogen, . . . 190 pounds. 
Potash .... 175 " 
Phosphoric acid, . 60 " 

It is not always advisable to compound a fertilizer in 
the exact proportions shown by a chemical analysis of the 
crop itself, chiefly because the phosphoric acid and potash 
in fertilizers have a tendency to take insoluble (and un- 
available) forms in the soil. Good results come from the 



FARMERS GUIDE. 27 

use, per acre, of 600 pounds of a fertilizer containing : 
Available Phosphoric acid, . 7 per cent. 
Actual Potash, 9 " " 

Soils rich in lime require a rather larger proportion of 
potash than that indicated above. 

Suggestions. For hay, alfalfa should be cut as soon as 
the first blossoms appear, and must be cured with as little 
handling as possible, as otherwise there is a great loss ot 
the leaf during the curing process. The number of yearly 
cuttings varies from two or three in New York and Penn- 
sylvania, to seven, eight, or even more in California and the 
states bordering on the Gulf of Mexico. On favorable, 
well-fertilized soils Alfalfa yields with ordinary care and 
cultivation from one to two tons of rich, nutritious hay 
every four or five weeks. It deteriorates rapidly after the 
third year if not amply fertilized every year. 

Cattle and sheep cannot safely be pastured on it when 
it is young and tender, as green or wet alfalfa, fed to these 
animals, is liable to bloat them, but there seems to be no 
such danger with horses and hogs. Pasturing always causes 
deterioration in alfalfa through packing the soil, etc., while 
soiling, which is more profitable, does not. As a cover- 
crop for light, suitable soils, this crop is unsurpassed. 



ALMOND. 

The general conditions of Almond culture are identical 
with those suited to the Peach. 



26 FARMERS GUIDE. 

APPLES- 

Under this head are considered only apple trees in bear- 
ing. (For proper treatment and care of young trees see 
"Nursery Slock.") The apple, which is too well known to 
require descriptive mention here, may be grown in the 
south with reasonable success, but it thrives best in the 
northern half of the country or in the cooler altitudes. 

Soil. A rich, well drained clay ^am is best for the 
apple. Wet soils, or those subject to flooding, as well as 
hard, dry clays should be avoided. Dry hillsides are gen- 
erally less favorable than lower and flat land, which is only 
rolling enough to insure free drainage, and that which 
slopes to the north is to be preferred to that having a 
southern exposure. Light, thin soils do not yield fruit 
satisfactorily in quantity or quality, unless liberally sup- 
plied with fertilizer and thoroughly cultivated. 

Cultivation. When apple trees have reached bearing 
age, the land is often seeded to grass, which should be mown 
several times each year, leaving cuttings to decay where 
they fall, unless the better practice can be followed of 
pasturing with sheep. In sections tending to dry, hot sum- 
mers, orchards are best plowed early in the spring and cul- 
tivated through the summer until August, when crimson 
clover is planted. The object of the tillage is to hold all 
possible moisture by means of earth mulch, and the clover 
serves as a winter soil-cover, and to store up nitrogen fer- 
tilizer for the next season's use, or growth. Young apple 
trees are planted after from one to four years' growth in 




APPLES, UNFERTILIZED. EXPERIMENT FARM. SOUTHERN PTNES, N. C. 




APPLES WITH COMPLETE FERTILIZER, POTASH, PHOSPHORIC ACID AND 
NITROGEN. EXPERIMENT FARM,- SOUTHERN PINES, N. C. 



FARMERS GUIDE. 31 

the nursery row. There is no advantage in planting trees 
of over two years' growth, and they should be set from 30 
to 40 feet apart each way in the north, that is, 27 to 48 
trees per acre ; but in the south, where they grew less 
vigorously 25 to 30 feet is a proper distance, — that is, 40 to 
70 per acre. While trees are young, the orchard may be 
planted in corn, or any clean cultivation crop, but it must 
be clearly kept in mind that two crops are being grown, 
and that both demand liberal feeding with fertilizer. 

Fertilizing. When trees are first planted a vigorous 
growth is desired, which necessitates a fertilizing treatment 
different from that of trees in bearing. (See title "Nursery 
Stock.") Trees in bearing draw from the soil annually for 
two crops, the one the yield of fruit, and the other the tree 
growth of new wood and leaves. A careful study of the 
fruit, wood and leaf growth of an acre of apple trees, (35 
trees) shows an annual demand of fertilizer as follows : 
Nitrogen, .... 67 pounds. 

Potash, 95 " 

Phosphoric acid . . 26 " 
As the annual growth actually requires the above quanti- 
ties of fertilizer, that which is used should show some rela- 
tion to the same. From 600 to 1,000 pounds per acre 
should be applied each year of a fertilizer containing : 

Nitrogen, 2 per cent. 

Actual Potash, ... 9 " 

Available Phosphoric acid, 7 " 
This amount of fertilizer may seem excessive, but a 
study of the soil-exhaustion of the crop shows that it is all 



32 FARMERS GUIDE. 

needed. A half-starved orchard gets " scrubby," produces 
only a little ill-flavored fruit, and lives but a short life. 

Suggestions. The bearing orchard should have an ap- 
plication of one ton of slaked lime, broadcast, every three 
years. In regions where the ground is covered by snow 
any great length of time, young trees are often injured by 
rabbits gnawing the bark ; this may be prevented by fasten- 
ing two-feet sections of corn stalks around the base of each 
tree, or by smearing the tree trunk with blood from the 
refuse in butchering. Mulching should not be applied in 
the fall, as it affords a harbor for mice, which are as destruc- 
tive as rabbits. Apple trees should be sprayed regularly 
with Bordeaux mixture and Arsenic, to hold in check the 
apple scab and codlin moth. Full directions are given by 
most of the Experiment Stations. 



ARTICHOKE, 

In the United States the tuberous root of a species of 
sunflower is called by this name, although it is in no sense 
an artichoke. The plant resembles the sun-flower in its 
habit, and is hardier than the potato. It is an excellent 
root for hogs, as it yields from 400 to 600 bushels per acre, 
and the crop is grown with very little cost in the middle 
and southern states. 

Soil. This artichoke, so-called, requires about the same 
soil as the Irish or white potato, a rich loam neither heavy 
nor light. The crop stands drouth well, but will not 
flourish on a dry, hard clay. 



FARMERS GUIDE. 33 

Cultivation, The planting should be in drills four feet 
apart and two feet apart in the drill like that of potatoes, 
with about the same amount of seed, (from 8 to 12 bushels) 
per acre, cut in pieces like potatoes. Two cultivatings are 
usually all that is needed, as the plants soon completely 
cover the ground. 

Fertilizing. This, like all tuber crops requires liberal 
potash fertilizing. Having in mind the rnanurial require- 
ments of the crop, and the common experience with all 
tuber crops, a good fertilizer for it would be from 400 
to 800 pounds of the following fertilizer : 

Nitrogen 3 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 8 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 7 " 
Suggestions. When the crop is matured, a few rows 
should be plowed out, selected, and saved for seed, which 
should be gathered and buried in the same manner as 
potatoes are sometimes stored, before the hogs are turned 
in to harvest the main crop. Many farmers will not grow 
artichokes for fear they will become troublesome weeds. 
This fear is not well founded, for a single plowing in midsum- 
mer after the old tubers have become exhausted, and before 
the new ones have formed, will completely destroy the plants. 



ASPARAGUS. 

Asparagus is a branching, herbaceous plant, growing to 
a height of 3 to 7 feet from perennial root stocks. The 
root stock, or crown, makes a new growth each year of 



34 FARMERS GUIDE. 

from one to three inches extending horizontally, and 
generally in a straight line. Through use of seed from 
strong shoots from superior roots, the size and yield of 
asparagus has been improved. 

Soil. Asparagus will grow in almost any ground, and 
yield large crops even on stiff soils ; but for market garden- 
ing a ]ight sandy soil, fairly fertile is much to be preferred, 
both for the sake of earliness in producing marketable 
shoots, and of ease of cultivation. Of course, any soil, if 
otherwise suitable, may be fit by a thorough system of 
underdrainage. An occasional over-flowing, or even sub- 
mergence of the beds for several days, is not injurious, 
provided the drainage, either natural or artificial, be good. 
The soil should be free from roots, stones or anything that 
will not easily and quickly disintegrate or that will inter- 
fere with the growth of the shoots. 

Cultivation. As the Asparagus crop will occupy the 
land for several years after planting, the preparation of the 
land should be very thorough. It should follow a clean 
cultivation crop and begin with deep, thorough fall plow- 
ing. Trenching is needlessly expensive and no longer 
practised. Planting is best done in the spring, but may be 
extended or delayed until the last of June, and in some 
southern sections it is done in the autumn. Early in the 
spring rows should be marked off 4 to 6 feet apart, and 
opened up with a plow, making a wide furrow from 8 to 12 
inches deep. The crowns are set in these furrows, the 
distance between crowns varying from 18 inches to 5 feet, 




ASPARAGUS, UNFERTILIZED. EXPERIMENT FARM, SOUTHERN PINES, N. C. 







ASPARAGUS WITH COMPLETE FERTILIZER, POTASH, PHOSPHORIC ACID 
AND NITROGEN, EXPERIMENT I ARM, SOUTHERN PINES, N. C. 




ASPARAGUS, UNFERTILIZED. J. W. KILLEN, FELTON, DEL. 
YIELD 1, 1 86 LBS. PER ACRE. 




ASPARAGUS WITH COMPLETE FERTILIZER, POTASH, PHOSPHORIC ACID 

AND NITROGEN. J. W. KILLEN, FELTON, DEL. 

YIELD I,7So LBS. PER ACRE. 



FARMERS GUIDE. 37 

Careful weeding and loosening of the soil at frequent 
intervals is necessary ; in the fall, when the tops are mature, 
they should be cut and hauled off the field. 

Fertilizing. As Asparagus is grown for its succulent 
stems only, the fertilizer used should be very rich in 
nitrogen and potash, to encourage strong and rapid growth. 
The common practice is to use large quantities of well- 
rotted farmyard manure, preferably applied in the autumn 
as a top dressing, but many of the most successful market 
gardeners never use farmyard manure. They depend 
wholly on chemical fertilizers, and claim that the quality is 
more regular by such treatment. The heavy application of 
salt is of little practical value and is gradually being 
abandoned. Use per acre from 800 to 1,200 pounds of a 
fertilizer containing 

Nitrogen, 5 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 9 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 7 " 

Suggestions. Early in the spring of each year, after 
the plants are old enough to cut, a ridge should be made 
over the rows to blanch the shoots, if white asparagus be 
desired for market or the table. The ridging needs renew- 
ing every week or ten days during the cutting season. The 
grower of " green " asparagus has about the same work, 
without the ridging and plowing down. After the cutting 
season, a cut-away harrow run twice diagonally across the 
rows loosens up the soil and destroys weeds without injury 
to the crowns, although some spears may be broken off. 



38 farmers' guide. 

BARLEY. 

Barley is chiefly grown for malting, or for winter pasture. 
It has much the same climatic requirements as wheat, and 
in the farm rotation, should follow a clean cultivation crop, 
such as corn or potatoes. 

Soils. A rich, moist loam is the best soil for barley, 
and it usually makes a good yield after corn or potatoes, 
which have been well fertilized. Low and wet soils, as 
well as hard and dry clays, are to be avoided. If the soil 
contains much decayed vegetable matter, the growth of 
straw is excessive and results in lodging. 

Cultivation. The general method of seeding and work- 
ing is similar to that for wheat and other grain crops. 

Fertilizing. When grown for brewing purposes, special 
attention must be given to fertilizing the soil properly in 
order to obtain the best results. A manure too rich in 
nitrogen causes severe lodging, and reduces the malting 
value of the grain. The following fertilizer, applied at the 
rate of 500 to 1,000 pounds per acre is correct : 

Nitrogen, 5 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 9 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 7 

Bulletin 33 of the Indiana Experiment Station says, 
" With the exception of Sulphate of ammonia, the plots 
which received commercial fertilizers generally produced a 
larger proportion of grain than those to which stable 



FARMERS GUIDE. 39 

manure was applied." This was on soil which had been in 
corn preceded by clover. 

Suggestions. There are three distinct kinds of barley 
in cultivation, the "two-rowed" and the " six-rowed " both 
bearded, and the " Beardless." Of each of these there are 
winter and spring varieties,, but there appears to be no 
uniform difference in the yields, each variety seeming best 
suited for certain soils and climates. 



BEANS. 



The varieties of beans are very numerous, and include 
several distinct species. The Horse Bean (Vicia faba) an 
erect plant, two feet or more in height, with very large 
seeds, is often grown as a forage crop in Europe and to 
some extent in Canada and the northern states. In this 
country, on account of blighting when the weather becomes 
very warm, it is not extensively cultivated. 

The Lima Bean (Phaseolus lunatus) is a popular pole 
and bush variety. It is tender, and should not be planted 
until there is no danger of late frosts. Plant in rows 4 feet 
apart, using 3 to 4 seeds every 3 feet. It is well to start the 
plants in inverted sods in the hot bed. 

The Bush Bean (Phaseolus manus) which furnishes the 
" White Navy" and many other similar sorts, is a very 
popular variety, as it grows fairly well on very poor soil, 
makes a quick crop, and leaves the soil in an improved con- 
dition. For snap beans, the "Wax" varieties are the most 



46 FARMERS GUIDE, 

popular, as the pods are so thick, fleshy and transparent as 
to give them an attractive appearance. 

The Pole Beans (phaseolus vulgaris) including such 
varieties as the "Red Speckled," "Horticultural,"and " South- 
ern Prolific " yield more freely than do the bush varie- 
ties, and many think them of better quality. Where there 
is an abundance of room, the bush varieties are more profit- 
able, but where the ground is limited more can be. secured 
from an equal area by planting the pole varieties. 

Soil. Beans will grow and make a fair yield on a 
poorer soil than almost any other crop. They may be 
grown on any soil which is not too wet, but succeed best on 
a light, sandy loam. 

Cultivation. Beans are planted both in hills and drills 
and given clean cultivation. The seed should not be 
planted until the soil is well warmed in the spring, be- 
cause they are liable to rot in a cold, moist soil. 

Fertilizer. If the beans are grown for ripe seed, the 
fertilizer need contain but little nitrogen, but must be rich 
in phosphoric acid and potash ; that is, per acre, applied in 
the drill from 500 to 1,000 pounds of a fertilizer containing : 

Nitrogen, 1 per cent. 

Actual Potash, ... 9 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 6 

If the crop be grown for snap beans, the percentage 
of nitrogen should be as high as 3 per cent, the other in- 
gredients remaining as above. 

Suggestions. The profitable culture of beans, either 



FARMERS GUIDE. 4l 

for seed or snap beans, is largely a matter of nearness to 
market. For growing seed beans on a large scale special 
machinery is required for harvesting, etc. In small quanti- 
ties, seed beans are sometimes grown for home use by late 
planting in corn rows, this late planting being to escape the 
weevil. If beans must be stored, they should be treated 
with carbon disulphide as a protection against the weevil. 
The chemical can be purchased of any druggist, full direc- 
tions for using accompany it. 



BEETS. 

The beet, especially the mangel or mangold, is for 
American what the turnip is for the English farmers. It 
thrives on a warm, dry soil ; the turnip does not. It is 
hardy and may be grown in almost any part of this conti- 
nent, but the young plant is easily destroyed by a severe 
frost. 

Soil. The best soil for beets is a rich, sandy loam, and 
one quite sandy and light will prove satisfactory if highly 
fertilized. It will not succeed on a dry and lumpy soil or 
on one too heavy. 

Cultivation. On account of its long tap-root, the beet 
requires a mellow, deeply worked soil. The seeds can be 
planted broadcast after plowing and harrowing in. Fre- 
quent cultivation is necessary. In some locations and 
climates ridge-planting is not practiced, as flat-planting and 
cultivation give better crops. About 6 to 12 pounds of 
seed per acre are about right. 



42 FARMERS GUIDE. 

Fertilizing. A crop of 20 tons of beets including tops 
per acre (not an unusual yield), removes from the soil 145 
pounds of nitrogen, 256 pounds of potash, and 40 pounds 
of phosphoric acid. Apply per acre 1,000 to 2,000 pounds 
of a fertilizer containing : 

Nitrogen, 5 per cent. 

Actual potash, . . . . 9 " 
Available Phosphoric acid, 6 " 

Bulletin 61 of the Maryland Agricultural Experiment 
Station says : " Nearly all soils, especially those which 
have been under cultivation for a long time, require gen- 
erous fertilization in order to produce a paying crop of beets. 
Barnyard manure should be avoided, or if applied at all, 
should be applied the previous year in an almost rotten 
state. 

Suggestions. When beets are grown for the table, the 
turnip shaped varieties are better for early use; and the long 
rooted ones for winter use, because they mature later and 
keep better. 



THE SUGAR BEET. 

The sugar beet reaches its highest development in north 
temperate latitudes. The mere growing of a large number 
of tons per acre can be accomplished far south, but beets 
grown in such localities are less rich in sucrose and yield 
less sugar than those grown farther north. 

Soil, The sugar beet is not particular as to kind of 



FARMERS GUIDE. 43 

soil, but does not take kindly to stiff clays and virgin soils 
or those especially rich in organic matter or alkaline salts. 
The best soil is a sandy loam containing a happy blending 
of organic matter, clay and sand. In general, cultivation 
and other circumstances being the same, any soil which 
will produce a good crop of Indian corn, wheat or potatoes, 
will produce a proportionately good crop of sugar beets, 
however, it must be well drained and should be reasonably 
level. 

Cultivation. Sugar beets do best after wheat, or some 
other cereal, on land plowed in the fall, not less than 9 
inches in depth and stirred several inches deeper by a sub- 
soil plow. In the spring it should be cross-plowed, and 
worked until reduced to perfect tilth. The seed is planted 
in drills, as described for field or garden beets, and 
as soon as the plants are large enough to mark the rows, 
cultivation, with horse or hand hoe, should commence and 
be continued at least once a week, until the foliage of the 
growing crop will cover the ground, which should be left 
practically level by the last cultivation. 

Fertilizing. Manuring with farmyard manure is suita- 
ble for sugar beets. Potash used in fertilizers should be in 
the form of sulphate rather than muriate. The fertilizer 
constituents actually removed by a crop of 10 tons of sugar 
beets per acre, are as follows: 

Nitrogen, no pounds. 

Potash 195 

Phosphoric acid, ... 40 u 



44 FARMERS GUIDE. 

Dr. H. W. Wiley, in treating on this matter in a report 
to the U. S. Government, says : " As to the relation which 
the quantity of material returned to the soil should bear to 
the quantity abstracted by the beet, it may be said in 
general that it is desirable to return as much nitrogen, from 
one and a quarter to one and a half times as much potash, 
and two and a half times as much phosphoric acid as have 
been removed by the roots. Greater additions of potash 
and phosphoric acid have no disadvantageous effect upon 
the crop." Good practice indicates an application per 
acre of from 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of a fertilizer con- 
taining : 

Nitrogen, 5 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 9 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 6 " 

The fertilizer should be broadcasted, and mixed with 
earth so that seed and fertilizer do not come in contact. 

Suggestions. The time for harvesting varies in differ- 
ent localities, and should be postponed as long as practical, 
provided there be no danger of a second growth or of 
exposure to a freezing temperature. The leaves of the 
ripened beet change from a rich to a yellowish green, 
droop, settle closely on the earth and many of them die 
The' harvesting is easily accomplished by first loosening 
the beets with a plow and then removing them by hand. 



BLACKBERRY. 

The wild blackberry grows in all parts of the country, 
but the cultivated berries are so much larger and finer that 



FARMERS GUIDE. 45 

the crop is a profitable one for market wherever the expense 
of shipping is not too great. 

Soil. The blackberry needs a good sandy loam, neither 
wet nor dry. On a wet soil (containing too much nitrogen) 
the plants make a rank growth but bear little fruit ; on a 
dry soil, the fruit is smalLand of poor flavor. 

Cultivation. The plants should be set four feet apart, 
in rows six feet apart, and cultivated sufficiently to keep 
down weeds and prevent sprouts from filling the spaces 
between the rows. The cultivating, as well as the gathering 
of the fruit, will be much easier if stakes four feet long are 
driven into the ground ten feet apart, and a foot from the 
side of each row, and a wire stapled to the tops so that the 
bushes will be confined within a space about two feet wide. 

Fertilizing. The plant food requirements of black- 
berries, indicated by the chemical composition of the crop, 
are one part of phosphoric acid and two of nitrogen and 
three of potash. The following fertilizer is used by 
extensive growers, applied at the rate of from 500 to 1,000 
pounds per acre : 

Nitrogen, 3 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 8 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 5 " 

The general practice is to apply the fertilizer broadcast, 
or, in the rows where the young plants are to be set. 

Suggestions, The trailing varieties, known as dew- 
berries, though not so highly flavored or so good for pre- 
serving, ripen earlier than the bush varieties and always 



46 farmers' guide. 

bring good prices. They will grow on thinner, dryer soil 
than the others, are less subject to rust, and are the best 
small fruit we have maturing just after strawberries are 
gone. The bush varieties of blackberries are more hardy, 
make a heavier yield on good soil, have smaller seeds, 
and in the north are more popular than the dewberries. 
Unfortunately they are liable to a red rust which is often 
very destructive and for which no remedy is known. The 
only effective treatment is to watch closely, and, at its 
appearance, dig up, cut out and burn every diseased plant. 
Some hybrids, between the trailing and the bush varieties, 
have been found very valuable for the middle and southern 
states, but they are not sufficiently hardy for the extreme 
north. 



BROOM CORN, 

This crop closely resembles sorghum, and has the same 
general characteristics. 

Soil. Broom corn grows best on such a rich and sandy 
loam as would make a heavy growth of sorghum or Indian 
corn. A soil too moist causes blight, and makes the "straw" 
coarse and brittle, while one too hard and dry yields light 
and inferior straw. 

Cultivation. It is planted and cultivated like ordinary 
sorghum. As soon as the heads are fully grown, while the 
seeds are still watery or becoming milky, they should be 
"tabled," to prevent the mature seed from bending the straw 
downward and making the brush crooked and unfit for use. 



FARMERS GUIDE. - 47 

The tabling is done by breaking the stalks about three feet 
above ground and lapping two rows together so that the 
heads will support one another in a horizontal position. 

Fertilizer As the seed is of little importance, and a 
heavy growth of straw the only thing wanted, the fertilizer 
should be rich in nitrogen to stimulate growth, and in 
potash to make the straw strong and elastic, while a mod- 
erate supply of phosphoric acid will satisfy the needs of the 
plants. Use, per acre, from 400 to 600 pounds of a fer- 
tilizer containing, 

Nitrogen, 5 per cent 

Actual Potash, ... 9 " 

Available Phosphoric acid, 6 " 
Suggestions. As soon as the seed is nearly matured, 
the crop should be gathered by cutting the heads with 
about a foot of the stalk. The brush should be dried in 
the shade, as drying in the sun injures the straw by making 
it more brittle, and robs it of the bright green color charac- 
teristic of straw of the best quality. After being thoroughly 
dried in the shade, the brush is often sunned for one day 
to remove moisture. The seed is beaten off, and the crop 
is then ready to pack for market. 



BUCKWHEAT. 

Soil. Buckwheat will grow on almost any soil which is 
not so wet as to drown the plants. Good crops can be 
made on light, sandy soils, or those so rich in vegetable 



48 farmers' guide. 

matter as to be almost peat, Often there are low, undrained 
places on the farm, too wet to be plowed in the spring, 
which will make excellent buckwheat if plowed as late as 
June D 

Cultivation. Buckwheat is usually sown broadcast, and 
has the same general requirements as oats, or spring wheat. 
Fertilizers. Buckwheat has the property of making 
the most of a poor soil, but it does correspondingly better 
when properly fertilized. A crop of 30 bushels removes 
from the soil in grain, straw, etc., 30 pounds of nitrogen, 
44 pounds of potash and 16 pounds of phosphoric acid. 
Use per acre from 300 to 560 pounds of a fertilizer con- 
taining : 

Nitrogen, . , . . . 4 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 9 " 

Available phosphoric acid, 8 " 

If the crop follows corn, the percentage of nitrogen 
should be at least 5 per cent. 

Suggestions, Buckwheat grows on almost any soil, 
may follow any crop, matures in two months from sowing, 
and so it is valued as a " catch crop" for land which would 
otherwise be vacant a part of the summer. It is grown 
much more extensively in the north than the south, though 
along the Atlantic coast, it is often sown in July or August 
as a nurse crop for crimson clover. 



CABBAGE- 

This section includes also Braccoli^ Brussels Sprouts^ 



FARMERS GUIDE. 49 

Cauliflower, Col lards, Kohl Rabi and other forms of Br as sic a 
Oleracca. 

Soil. The cabbage family includes a large number of 
very distinct forms, which need practically the same soil, 
fertilizer and culture, and therefore, are treated under the 
same heading. The soil should be deep, mellow, moist but 
well drained, and can not well be too rich ; reclaimed 
swamps and newly plowed clover lands are excellent. 

Cultivation. Any crop which leaves the soil in good 
condition may precede cabbage, but this family will not 
thrive in the same soil two years in succession, because of 
its becoming infested with diseases and insect pests peculiar 
to the crop. The plants are generally started in hot beds 
or cold frames, and transplanted to about fifteen inches to 
two feet apart in rows from two and one-half to three feet 
apart. Thorough and clean cultivation are essential. 

Fertilizer. The cabbage requires rich soil and should 
follow some other heavily fertilized crop. The plants are 
grown for their succulent leaves and stems, so nitrogen is 
the important element in the fertilizer, and should be given 
in liberal quantities. Use per acre from 1,000 to 2,000 
pounds of a fertilizer containing 

Nitrogen, 4 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 9 " 
Available Phosphoric Acid, 7 " 

A fair crop of 31 tons per acre removes from the soil 
150 pounds of nitrogen, 360 pounds of potash and 180 
pounds of phosphoric acid. The potash in form of sulphate 



50 FARMERS GUIDE. 

has often been found better for cabbage than the muriate. 

Suggestions. The cabbage will bear a moderate frost 
without injury. In the extreme south, it is common to 
plant in the field from September to December a crop 
which is ready for marketing from January to March. 
This is grown during the cool season, when nitrification 
progresses slowly, and should be planted on the lightest 
and warmest soil, supplied with the most stimulating 
fertilizer. 

The late planting, which is to occupy the ground during 
the summer, should be on a heavier soil, less stimulatingly, 
though abundantly fertilized. " Clubroot " is a disease 
w r hich often destroys the roots of the plants, when cabbage 
is grown year after year on the same land. The remedy is 
rotation of crops. The troublesome green cabbage worm 
may be killed by dusting with Persian insect powder 
(Pyrethrum). This substance is death to the cabbage 
worm, but harmless to men. Paris green should never be 
used on cabbage. 



CANTELOUPR 

(See Muskmelon). 



CARROT* 

In general characteristics and culture, this crop resembles 
the beet. Its culture is much the same in all essentials, and 
is fertilized the same as beets. 



FARMERS GUIDE. 5 1 

CASSAVA. 

Cassava is a tuberous-rooted plant, which resembles the 
castor bean, and belongs to the same family. It thrives 
best on sandy soils containing plenty of humus. The roots 
from 15 to 30 inches long, and from i to 3 inches in 
diameter, ^are used in the manufacture of tapioca and 
glucose, and as a winter grazing for hogs. The factories 
pay about six dollars per ton for the roots. Tests at the 
Florida Experiment Station (reported in Bulletin 49) show 
that hogs digging the roots for themselves, can be fattened 
and made into pork on them at a cost of less than 2 cents 
per pound, which makes it even as a pork producer a 
profitable crop. 

The plants are propagated by cuttings of the stems, 
which are kept buried through the winter and in the spring 
are planted in rows 4 feet apart. This crop thrives only in 
the southern part of the country, being at its best in Florida 
and along the Gulf, and needs the same cultivation as corn. 
The fertilizer recommended for sugar cane is suitable for 
Cassava, and the same care must be observed that the 
fertilizer is free from chlorides. 



CASTOR BEAN. 

This plant is a half hardy annual, and from its seeds, 
castor oil is produced. It is but little less hardy than 
Indian corn. 

Soil. A light, fertile, sandy loam is best for it; a soil 
frequently watersoaked, or a dry, hard clay is entirely 



52 FARMERS GUIDE. 

unsuitable. New prairie land or clover sod produces the 
best yields, as will any soil suitable for corn. 

Cultivation. Although the plant becomes a tree in the 
Tropics, in the United States it is an annual. The seeds 
are planted two or three together, three or four feet apart 
in rows five feet apart, every seventh row being left vacant 
for a road. The cultivation is the same as that of corn. 
Harvesting begins as soon as the first clusters are ripe, in 
July or August, and continues weekly until the plants are 
killed by frost. 

Fertilizer. Phosphoric acid and potash should be given 
liberally in about equal amounts. Too much nitrogen 
induces a rank growth of plant, made at the expense of its 
fruitfulness ; if the other elements are deficient, the seeds 
are few and small. Use per acre from 400 to 600 pounds 
of a fertilizer containing 

Nitrogen, 2 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 8 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 8 " 

(The application is made as described for Indian Corn.) 
Suggestions, In harvesting a wagon or sled is driven 
along the vacant rows and the ripe clusters on the three 
rows on each side are cut just before the pods are ready to 
open. The gathered clusters, to the depth of not over a 
foot, are scattered over a floor, or a smooth, hard place on 
the ground, which must be surrounded by a close board 
fence 6 to 8 feet high. As the pods are dried by the sun, 
they burst open and throw the beans out with so much 



FARMERS GUIDE. 53 

force that many of them would be lost if it were not for the 
fence. All the pods open in three or four days, when the 
stems are raked off, and the beans run through a winnow- 
ing mill to clean them and fit them for market. The yield 
is about the same as that of corn, while the price per bushel 
is from two to three times as much. 



CELERY. 



Celery is a biennial native of England, found in its wild 
state in marshy places and ditches along the coast. 

Soil. A black, peaty marsh soil is best for celery, 
though it will not succeed there without the most thorough 
drainage. A moist clay loam will not produce quite so large 
a yield, but imparts a finer flavor and often brings better 
prices. Provision should be made for irrigation, where 
there is danger of even a moderate drouth, for want of 
abundant moisture gives the plants a severe check, and 
renders them more liable to disease. 

Cultivation. Celery is grown from plants, propagated 
in hot beds or cold frames, transplanted, thoroughly culti- 
vated and kept free from weeds. The trenching system is 
no longer used. The setting is usually six to ten inches 
apart, in rows four feet apart, but some growers make the 
rows only 12 inches apart. As the growth advances, the 
outer leaves have a tendency to spread flat out upon the 
ground, just enough earth should be banked around the 
plants to counteract this tendency and hold the leaves up- 



54 FARMERS GUIDE. 

right. The grower who makes a specialty of celery should 
study a good book on the subject. 

Fertilizing, On a richly peaty soil little nitrogen will 
be needed in the fertilizer, but on clays, nitrogen should be 
given liberally to induce rank growth. Peat contains little 
potash, which must be supplied in large amounts to give 
the plants strength for bleaching and solidity for winter 
keeping. But little phosphoric acid is needed. Fresh 
stable manure tends to cause rust and to make the leaf 
stems coarse, stringy and inferior in flavor. Use, per acre, 
i, 600 to 2,000 pounds of a fertilizer containing : 

Nitrogen, 5 per cent* 

Actual Potash, .... 8 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 6 " 

Suggestions. Celery is a cool weather plant, uninjured 
by light frosts, but killed by a moderate freezing or by long 
and intense heat. The fact that the young plants cannot 
endure much heat, makes it difficult to raise them from 
seed in the extreme south, where they must be grown in 
July and August for September planting. Most southern 
gardeners find it less expensive to buy northern plants than 
to care for home-raised seedlings so as to keep them in 
condition through the winter months. 



CHERRY. 



Under the head of " Apple" have been given sugges- 
tions of general application to all fruit trees. 



FARMERS GUIDE. 55 

Soil. Like other stone fruits, the cherry does best on 
a somewhat sandy, well drained soil, and is more successful 
in the north than in the south. Thrifty and productive 
trees are found on rocky hillsides, but never where water 
stands at the roots. 

Fertilizing. From the time the trees are planted until 
they are of a size to bear good crops, vigorous growth 
should be secured and maintained by applying a complete 
fertilizer to each tree, of 8 to 16 pounds of a fertilizer con- 
taining : 

Nitrogen, . . . . « 2 per cent. 
Actual potash, .... 9 " 

Available phosphoric acid, 7 " 

When a tree has reached full bearing age, from 2 to 6 
pounds of fertilizer per year is sufficient for it. Cherry 
trees should stand from 12 to 20 feet each way, which 
means from 302 to 108 trees per acre, varying the number 
to conform to the varieties, sizes and habits of the trees 
grown. Naturally the smaller fertilizer application per 
tree is given to those kinds which are most thickly planted. 

Suggestions. While the trees are young, the ground 
needs good regular cultivation. Corn, potatoes or melons 
may be grown in the young orchard, but when bearing 
size and age is reached it is better to seed the land with 
clover or alfalfa, and to use it as a hog or calf pasture. If 
only a few trees are grown, (about the house) chickens 
should be allowed to range under them to destroy the cur- 
culio and other insects. 



56 farmers' guide. 

CHICORY. 

This plant is extensively grown in Europe, where its 
fleshy roots resembling those of the dandelion, are em- 
ployed as a substitute for coffee. Its height, under cultiva- 
tion, is from two to six feet. 

Soil. A deep, clay loam, rich in lime, dry rather than 
wet, is best for chicory. It will not grow well on hard clay 
or on soil which runs together and packs after every rain. 

Fertilizer. As chicory is grown for its fleshy roots, 
nitrogen and potash are the elements most needed in the 
fertilizer, accordingly, a good dressing of stable manure 
strengthened by the addition of potash salts, gives the best 
results. 

Suggestions. Chicory has been grown extensively in 
Europe for many years, and large quantities of it are im- 
ported annually, but, until recently, it has attracted little 
attention in this country. The few tests, made at the New 
York, Nebraska and other experiment stations, indicate 
that it may be made a profitable crop here, although it is so 
persistent that it may become a troublesome weed if not 
watched closely. 



CHUFA* 

This is a species of " earth-nut" grown in the south to 
fatten hogs, but not to be mistaken for nut-grass. 

Soil. Chufas need a light, sandy soil, not too dry and 
makes a fair yield on those too light for most other crops. 

Fertilizer. The starchy roots, the parts of the plant 



FARMERS GUIDE. 57 

wanted, indicate a rich potash fertilizer. On land which 
was in peas the previous season, or where a sod has 
recently been turned over, it requires no fertilizer except- 
ing potash ; otherwise, apply, per acre, from 200 to 400 
pounds of a fertilizer containing: 

Nitrogen, ' 3 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 9 " 

Available phosphoric acid, 6 * 

Suggestions. The chufa is the best root crop that can 
be grown for hogs on soils too thin and sandy for artichokes, 
but is not suited to heavy soils. The plants shade the 
ground but little and need cultivating the entire summer. 
The yield is large, 172 bushels per acre being reported by 
the Alabama Station. The roots may remain in the ground 
through the winter, and be harvested when wanted. 

ALSIKE CLOVER. 

This is a perennial, and makes a good growth on wet 
soils, where other clovers fail more or less. 

Soil. Alsike clover grows best on a deep, rich, moist 
and heavy soil, doing well on ground too wet for any other 
clover, but it should never be planted on that which is light, 
sandy or dry. 

Fertilizing. Being a legume, this crop requires little, 
(if any) nitrogen, but potash must be used freely. This 
clover is commonly sown with other grasses, to lengthen the 
period in grass. The fertilizer used on ordinary red clover 



58 farmers' guide. 

suits the Alsike. Lime must be supplied unless the soil has 
plenty of this constituent. 

Suggestions. This is excellent to mix with red-top, 
fowl-meadow and other wet ground grasses, and should 
always be sown on the wet places in pastures. It bears frost 
better than most other clovers, and so gives good winter 
grazing in the south. 



CRIMSON CLOVER* 

This member of the valuable clover family is a member 
of Southern Europe. It is annual, and consequently, must 
be re-seeded for each crop. 

Cultivation, Seed may be sown from July to October, 
after the land has been well prepared, and the young plants 
should be protected by the shade of a good growth of cow- 
pea vines, or a corn or cotton crop. It is commonly used 
as a winter cover- crop, its growth being made in the cool 
wet part of the year. 

Soil. It thrives on a lighter and sandier soil than any 
other clover, as it requires little humus, and comparatively 
little moisture. 

Fertilizer. Crimson clover is often grown for green 
manuring and the ranker its growth the more satisfactory 
will be the succeeding crop. Excepting on soils which are 
already fertile, use, per acre, 600 pounds of a fertilizer 
containing : 

Actual Potash, .... 9 per cent. 
Available Phosphoric acid 8 " 



FARMERS GUIDE. 59 

On very poor soils, an addition of one to two per cent, 
nitrogen will help to make a catch more certain. 

Suggestions. This clover is of recent introduction,- and 
is peculiarly well adapted to the sandy soils of the southeast. 
It flourishes along the Atlantic coast from New Jersey to 
Florida, but is generally less valuable in the Mississippi 
Valley, where the Hairy Vetch seems better. It should be 
sown, 20 lbs. clean seed or 80 lbs. in chaff per acre, sufficiently 
early to make a good root growth before cold weather. A 
few oats sown with it protect the young plants from sun- 
scorching. It should be cut for hay soon after it begins to 
bloom, for the stems grow hard and woody as soon as the 
flower spikes become elongated. In the south it should not 
be sown before August or September. 



JAPAN CLOVER. 

This clover, sometimes called Lespedeza, is a tender 
annual, from Virginia southward, which, though not suitable 
for crop rotation, should have its growth encouraged on 
waste &ad wood lands. 

Soil. Lespedeza succeeds best on rich, clay loam, not 
too dry, but it will make a good growth for pasture on dry, 
hard clay. It is of little value on light and sandy soils. 

Fertilizing. It is fertilized as for red clover, except 
that only about two-thirds of the quantity is used, keeping 
in mind its need of a liberal supply of potash. 

Suggestions. Lespedeza has become thoroughly nat- 



60 farmers' guide. 

uralized in the region south of Virginia and the Ohio River, 
but, being an annual maturing its seed late in the season, 
it is not likely to be grown much further north. In the 
region where it grows it. is one of the most valuable pasture 
plants, "coming in" on the hard, bare clay by the roadside, 
on the tops of the rain-washed hills, in woodland pastures 
and wherever it can find a clay foundation. When grown 
on good ground it will often yield 2 tons per acre of even 
better hay than clover, since it has no coarse stems and 
does not drop its leaves. 



RED CLOVER, 

This is the most widely known and regarded as the best 
member of the clover family for rotation purposes. 

Cultivation. In the north it is usually sown in the 
spring on ground which has already been sown in wheat or 
oats, or in late summer in standing corn, or alone after an 
early harvested crop. In the south, it is much better to 
sow it alone in September or October. From this fall sow- 
ing a heavy cutting of hay maybe made the following May, 
and one or two lighter cuttings later in the course of the 
season. The following May it will give another heavy cut- 
ting which may be taken off in time to plant the land in 
corn. In the north it is often sown with timothy and other 
grasses, to form permanent meadows, but such mixtures do 
not succeed well in the south. 

Soil. A deep, clay loam is best for red clover, but if a 
supply of mineral food be present it will grow on other 



farmers' guide. 6 1 

soils. Limestone clays are especially favorable to it, and 
it will grow even on peats; but it usually fails on newly 
broken prairies and sandy soils deficient in lime. 

Fertilizing. The plants when well established draw 
sufficient nitrogen from the air. A fair crop say 2 tons of 
cured red clover hay per acre, removes from the soil : 

Potash, ... 96 lbs. 
Phosphoric acid, 28 " 

Nitrogen may be disregarded in manuring the crop, but 
potash and phosphoric acid are important, for these two 
elements by themselves supply a certain amount of neces- 
sary plant food, and, by making a rank growth of the 
clover, increase the amount of nitrogen taken from the air. 
Use, per acre, from 600 to 1,000 pounds of a fertilizer con- 
taining 

Available phosphoric acid 8 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 9 " 

On land where past experience has shown much diffi- 
culty in obtaining a seeding, the fertilizer should contain 
2 per cent, nitrogen. An addition of lime in the form of 
quicklime, or sulphate, (land plaster) is beneficial on soils 
deficient in lime. A top-dressing of one ton per acre of 
fresh, water-slaked lime, or waste lime of any kind, has a 
wonderful effect. 

Suggestions. Wherever red clover can be grown it is 
most valuable in all crop rotation. It is the best crop to 
precede corn, wheat and other grains. The deep-growing 



62 farmers' cuide. 

roots leave the soil in excellent mechanical condition, and 
their decay furnishes a large yield of corn, wheat, or other 
grains when planted on the inverted sod. In the north the 
life of the plant is about two years, but in the south it lives 
longer if on strong soil, or liberally fertilized. 



SWEET CLOVER. 

Although Melilotus, or " Sweet Clover " is regarded as 
a weed in the north, it is a valuable biennial, self-reseeding 
hay and pasture plant, and the best of the clover family for 
green manuring on soils so sterile, or in such poor 
mechanical condition, that other crops fail. The decay of 
the large, deep roots, not only supplies plant food for 
succeeding crops, but also leaves the subsoil in a greatly 
improved mechanical condition. Its hay is much like 
Alfalfa, and is a valuable plant for increasing the quantity 
and improving the quality of the hay on lands where Johnson 
grass is grown. It grows only on a soil well supplied with 
lime, and thus it grows well on the white rotten lime stones 
common in many parts of the south. It should bo fertilized 
as recommended for Japan Clover. 



WHITE CLOVER. 

White clover, too dwarf for hay, is more useful for lawns 
and sheep and cattle pastures than elsewhere. It is excellent 
for bee feeding, and usually "comes in" in old pastures 
having suitable soils, In the north it is exceedingly com- 




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farmers' guide. 65 

mon in permanent pastures and in trodden lawns ; but in the 
south its growth is uneven and irregular, sometimes covering 
the ground with a dense green mat ; and often almost disap- 
pearing for a season. It is fertilized as recommended for 
Japan Clover. 

COCOANUT PALM. 

Soil. The cocoanut palm needs a moist, sandy soil, with 
plenty of vegetable matter, and thrives only near the seacoast 
and where there is no frost. 

Fertilizer. The chief fertilizing material needed is a 
mulch of seaweed, which is always convenient and abundant, 
to which should be added an occasional dressing of lime and 
potash. 

Suggestions. This palm can be grown to advantage in 
only the southern coast of Florida in the United States. 



INDIAN CORN. 

This crop is of common cultivation all over the country. 

Soil. A mellow loam, inclining more to sand than clay, 
is most suitable. It should contain an abundance of vegeta- 
ble matter and be dry rather than wet. 

Cultivation. The five principal types of corn are : the 
dent, flint, flour, pop and sweet. Of these, the dent 
varieties, white and yellow, form the bulk of the crop in all 
parts of the country. The method of planting varies with 
localities. Drill planting is to be preferred and many 
believe this is best as well as in culture for grain. 



66 FARMERS GUIDE. 

Fertilizing. A sod of clover or meadow grass, top- 
dressed the previous year with stable manure, affords a 
good basis for corn, though a crop of cow peas or soy 
beans is nearly as good. On such a field, but little extra 
nitrogen will be needed, since the growth of corn is made 
during the hot season, while bacterial nitrification is active 
in the organic matter of the soil. When planted on any 
excepting sod land, no crop will better repay heavy appli- 
cations of stable manure reinforced by phosphoric acid and 
potash fertilizer. A moderate crop of 50 bushels per acre, 
actually takes from the soil 67 pounds of nitrogen, 80 
pounds of potash and 31 pounds of phosphoric acid. Apply, 
per acre, from 800 to 1,000 pounds of a fertilizer con- 
taining 

Nitrogen, 2 per cent. 

Actual Potash, . . . . 7 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 6 " 

The following extracts from the bulletins of experiment 
stations may be of interest : Bulletin 10 of the New 
Hampshire Station, gives the results of tests in that state 
with corn in seven localities, showing that the fertilizer 
giving the most profitable results contained 4.7^ of Nitro- 
gen, gfo Phosphoric acid and 10.7$ of Potash. The seventh 
report of the Delaware Station says : " Potash produced 
the largest crop in 1894, and the greatest increase over the 
crops of 1889. The effect of phosphoric acid has been 
marked, but is on the whole rather less than that of Potash." 

Bulletin No. 33 of the Kentucky Station reports the 




CORN, UNFERTILIZED. OHIO EXPERIMENT STATION. 




CORN TREATED WITH COMPLETE FERTILIZER, POTASH. PHOSPHORIC 
ACID AND NITROGEN. OHIO EXPERIMENT STATION. 




CORN SHOWING YIELD FROM 
UNFERTILIZED PLOT. 



CORN SHOWING YIELD FROM AP- 
PLICATION OF MURIATE OF 
POTASH ALONE. 

MASSACHUSETTS EXPERIMENT STATION 







CORN SHOWING YlF.I.D FROM AP- CORN SHOWING YIELD FROM AP- 

PLICATION OF NITRATE OF PLICATION OF NITRATE OF 

SODA AND MURIATE OF POTASH. SODA AND BONE BLACK. 

MASSACHUSETTS EXPERIMENT STATION, 



FARMERS* GUIDE. 69 

work of three years in trials of fertilizers for corn, and 
says : "That there was a profit in the use of fertilizers in 
every instance where potash was one of the ingredients, the 
largest net profit arising from the use of a mixture of 
nitrate of sodium and muriate of potash. That there was 
a loss by the use of fertilizers where potash was not one of 
the ingredients." 

Bulletin No. 14 of the Missouri Station says : " So far it 
appears from the trials that potash is the element most 
desired by the corn on our land." 



COTTON. 

Cotton is grown in the United States, almost anywhere 
south of the 37th parallel of latitude : a line drawn from Old 
Point Comfort, Va., through Cairo, 111., practically coincides 
with this parallel. 

Soil. Cotton and corn need similar soils, though cotton 
will make a fair yield on heavy clays too thin for corn. On 
soils containing an excess of vegetable matter, the cotton 
plant grows to an immense size, but produces few bolls. 
On farms where both are grown, corn should be planted on 
the soil containing the greatest amount of humus, and the 
cotton on that which is less fertile. 

Cultivation. The soil is thoroughly prepared, as for 
all clean cultivation crops, and marked out in the same 
manner as for corn. Planting is done from March 1st to 
May 20th, according to location. Cultivation, which com- 



70 FARMERS GUIDE. 

mences as soon as the young plants are well up, continues 
regularly up to the time of the formation of squares, when 
all working stops. 

Fertilizer. If the meal and hulls from the seed are 
returned to the soil, cotton is not an exhaustive crop. 
Planting the same land with cotton year after year works 
ruin to the soil, not as some planters suppose, because of 
the exhaustive nature of the crop, but by the constant 
exposure of the soil to the hot sun during the summer, and 
the washing by the heavy rains of winter. With a carefully 
planned rotation of crops and moderate fertilization, cotton 
lands will not deteriorate. An application of a few hundred 
pounds of commercial fertilizer often makes the sharp 
difference between a profit and a loss on the crop. A 
ginned crop of 300 pounds removes from the soil in lint 
seed, stems, etc., about 44 pounds of nitrogen, 49 pounds of 
potash and 12 pounds of phosphoric acid. Use per acre 
from 400 to 800 pounds of a fertilizer containing : 

Nitrogen, 3 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 4 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 8 " 

Where commercial fertilizers are used, their proportions 
vary greatly in different localities, and it is impossible to 
recommend any single mixture which will be the best for 
all sections. The following extracts from the bulletins of 
experiment stations may be of interest : The South 
Carolina Station, Bulletin No. 2 (New Series) says : " Cot- 
ton requires nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash. Potash, 




COTTON UNFERTILIZED. FROM FARM OF T. J. ADAMS, EDGEFIELD, S. C. 




COTTON WITH COMPLETE FERTILIZER, 6% POTASH, 8% PHOSHORIC ACID 
AND 2>% NITROGEN. FROM FARM OF T. J. ADAMS, EDGEFIELD, S. C. 



FARMERS GUIDE. 73 

like nitrogen, is of little value to cotton when applied 
separately; it must be combined with other constituents." 

Suggestions. In sections where crimson clover will 
grow, it is a good practice to sow 15 pounds of the seed per 
acre, at the last cultivation of the cotton. This protects 
the soil from washing during the winter, gives a considera- 
ble amount of fine winter grazing, and provides nitrogen 
for the succeeding crop. The varieties of cotton are almost 
as numerous as those of corn. Those producing the longest 
lint have highest market value. 

A common and fatal disease of cotton is the " rust " 
which often attacks the plants just as they begin to mature. 

In 1891, Prof. Atkinson, then of the Alabama Experi- 
ment Station, called attention to the preventive effects of 
kainit, and, in Bulletin No. 36, gave a full statement of the 
action of the disease and the beneficial results he had 
secured from the use of Kainit. Prof. L. S. Earle, Biologist 
of the Alabama Station, in a recent letter says : " There 
can be no doubt that in some cases, on sandy lands, potash 
has a remarkable effect in preventing cotton rust." Similar 
results in preventing rust by the use of potash salts have 
been secured at other stations. 



COW PEAS- 

The cow-pea, in habits and characteristics, is really a 
bean. It is grown principally as a forage crop, or as 
a soil cover. 

Soil. The cow-pea will grow on any soil not too wet 



74 * FARMERS GUIDE. 

and even make a fair crop on that too thin and sterile for 
other cultivated crops. It makes its best growth on a rich, 
mellow loam, such as is desirable for corn, but, as it is 
grown chiefly as a restorative crop, it is usual to plant it on 
the poorest soil on the farm. 

Fertilizing. Although the cow-pea is the best restora- 
tive crop known, and the best to plow under for green 
manuring, it responds quickly to an application of fertilizer. 
The plant gathers nitrogen from the air, so little of that 
element need be given, but phosphoric acid and potash 
should be used in liberal amounts. A fertilizer containing 
8 per cent, each of potash and phosphoric acid, 400 to 600 
pounds per acre will be found most effective. 

Suggestions. Cow-peas, of which there are many 
varieties, may be used to precede or follow any crop which 
leaves the land unoccupied during any two months of warm 
weather. The Browneys, Coffee and New Era are dwarf 
and bushy, and mature within sixty days after planting, 
while others, like the Unknown or Wonderful, require the 
entire season for their growth. The early maturing 
varieties are occasionally grown as far north as Ohio and 
Illinois, while in the south they are usually planted in the 
corn field at the last cultivation. The crop is valuable for 
grazing, for hay and for green manuring. It is one of the 
most efficient of the nitrogen collecting crops, and in 
regions where it will grow will do more for the improve- 
ment of the soil in one season than red clover will in two. 



FARMERS GUIDE. 75 

CRANBERRY. 

The Cranberry, a native of swamps, will grow only on a 
peat or marsh soil. Under cultivation it must be given 
similar general conditions by covering an artificial bog 
with 3 to 6 inches of sand. 

Fertilizing. Like other plants grown for fruit, it needs 
moderate amounts of nitrogen, but a liberal supply of 
phosphoric acid and potash. On old bogs use, per acre, 
from 400 to 800 pounds of a fertilizer containing 

Nitrogen, 2 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 8 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 6 " 

On newly planted bogs, use more nitrogen and less 
phosphoric acid, say 4 per cent, of each, with the 8 per 
cent, of potash. 

Suggestions. Successful cranberry culture necessitates 
such a situation and control of the water supply that the 
entire bog may be easily and quickly flooded. A bog 
located by the side of a stream is most desirable, so that by 
opening and closing gates at a higher level, the inflow of 
water may be regulated ; and the drainage effected by 
opening lower gates. An occasional flooding is necessary, 
because the plants need the water and likewise as a pro- 
tection against insects, disease and frost. 



CUCUMBERS. 

(See Melons.) 



7 6 farmers' guide. 

CURRANTS. 

Soil. The currant grows best on a deep, rich sandy, 
moist but well drained loam. 

Fertilizing. A complete fertilizer is needed, as the 
amount of fruit produced is large in proportion to the size 
of the plant. On ordinary soils use, per acre, 1,000 pounds 
of a fertilizer containing 

Nitrogen, 3 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 9 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 7 " 

Suggestions. Currants succeed well north of the Ohio 
River, but, in the extreme south, because of the long hot 
summers, the bushes are short lived; planting on the north 
side of a fence and keeping the ground well mulched will 
increase their productiveness and prolong their lives in hot, 
dry climates or places. Careful pruning and removing old 
and stunted wood generally improves the size and quality 
of the fruit. 



DEWBERRY. 

(See Blackberry.) 



DURRA CORN. 

(See Kaffir Corn.) 



EGG PLANT. 
Soil. Egg plants and tomatoes need the same, light, 
sandy loam, made very rich. A garden which has been 



FARMERS GUIDE. 77 

heavily manured and well cultivated for some years, is in 
good condition for this crop. 

Fertilizing. To secure abundant and large fruits, 
heavy fertilizing is needed. Even on rich soil use, per 
acre, at least 2,000 pounds of a fertilizer containing 

Nitrogen, 4 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 9 kt 
Available phosphoric acid, 5 •' 

Broadcast and work into the soil. 

Suggestions. As the earliest crop is the most profita- 
ble, plants should be started in boxes in the house or in the 
hot bed, and as soon as they have four leaves, transplanted 
to flower pots or strawberry boxes, from which they may be 
transferred without disturbing the roots. When planted on 
very rich soil and well cultivated, egg plants are among the 
most profitable market garden crops. 



ENDIVE. 

The soil and fertilizer should be same as for chicorv. 



FIGS. 

Soil. Figs do best on a rich, sandy loam. 

Fertilizing. It is a gross feeder, demanding heavy 
fertilizing, which must contain more nitrogen than is 
desirable for most other trees, so that liquid manure is 
especially suited to its hunger. For small trees use monthly, 
from March to August, one pound per tree of a fertilizer 
containing 



78 farmers' guide. 

Nitrogen, 5 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 9 
Available phosphoric acid, 9 " 

The amount used for each tree should be increased by 
at least one pound yearly. 

Suggestions. The fig needs very peculiar treatment to 
make it satisfactory. It is easily propagated by cuttings of 
ripened wood, planted either in fall or early spring, and 
such cuttings will often bear some fruit the first season. 
The young trees are tender, and a large proportion of them 
in frosty localities, are killed by the first winter, but they 
increase in hardiness as they become older. By giving 
winter protection they may be grown as far north as 
Virginia or Missouri ; along the Gulf coast they do not 
succeed in large orchards ; even though a few protected 
trees, planted near buildings, bear immense crops, some- 
times 1,000 pounds of fruit per tree. 



FLAX. 

Common flax, an annual, having blue flowers, and 
reaching a height of about three to four feet, is of the most 
important fibre plants of the temperate zone. 

Soil. For its best development, flax requires a rich 
loam a moderate amount of heat, and abundant rains dur- 
ing the growing season. 

Cultivation. Little attention is paid to rotation with 
flax, but the crop should follow clean cultivation. 

Fertilizing. Stable manures, which are sure to contain 



guide. 79 

weed and grass seeds, should not be used directly on the 
crop. The value of the crop depends on the length of the 
stems, therefore a rank growth should be promoted by 
using per acre, 600 to 800 pounds of a fertilizer containing 

Nitrogen 3 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 9 u 

Available phosphoric acid, 8 
Suggestions. It is grown either for the seed or the 
fiber in the bark, if for seed, it should be sown thinly, using 
about f bushel of seed per acre ; if for fiber, more thickly, 
using 1^ to 2 bushels per acre. A crop seldom makes a 
satisfactory yield of both seed and fiber. " The more 
weeds the less flax," so the flax should be hand weeded 6 
to 8 inches high. 



GINGER. 

Soil. Ginger should have a deep, sandy and peaty soil, 
free from stagnant water, which never suffers from drouth. 

Fertilizing. On such a soil, no nitrogen is needed. 
Use per acre from 400 to 600 pounds of a fertilizer con- 
taining 

Actual Potash, .... 9 per cent. 
Available phosphoric acid, 8 " 

Suggestions. The ginger of commerce is the creeping 
root-stock of the plant, grown largely in the West Indies 
and to a limited extent in the extreme southern part of the 
United Stat 



So farmers' guide. 

GOOSEBERRY. 

In soil, fertilizer and general treatment, the require- 
ments of the gooseberry are the same as those of the 
currant. The European varieties are much larger and finer 
than the American, but suffer so much from mildew that 
they are seldom cultivated in this country. Bulletin No. 36 
of the New York (Geneva) Station says : " The mildew 
can be prevented by using a solution of the potassium 
sulfide, (one-half ounce in a gallon of water). This should 
be used as a spray, beginning as soon as the leaves expand, 
and applying it at intervals of 2 weeks during the growing 
season. 



GRAPES. 

Soil. Grapes need a well-drained soil, with a subsoil so 
porous that the roots can go downwards to a considerable 
distance. A rocky hillside, somewhat sandy or gravelly, 
rather than stiff and heavy, is an excellent location. 

Fertilizing, A crop of clover or cow-peas, before the 
vines are planted, leaves the soil in good mechanical con- 
dition, and furnishes a good part of the fertilizer needed for 
the first one or two years. It is a frequent practice east of 
the Rocky Mountains, to grow leguminous crops between 
the rows of vines to supply the nitrogen needed ; it is 
doubtful, however, if this method be advisable on account 
of injury produced to the vines by the roots of these crops, 
especially during dry spells, and the nitrogen obtained in 







ft 



^ z 



- -: -« 



GRAPES, UNFERTILIZED. EXPERIMENT FARM, SOUTHERN PINES, N. C. 




GRAPES WITH COMPLETE FERTILIZER (MEDIUM FERTILIZATION), POTASH, 
PHOSPHORIC ACIO AND NITROGEN. EXPERIMENT FARM, SOUTHERN 

PINES, N. C. 




w 
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a. 
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u 



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farmers' guide. 8$ 

this manner is not sufficient for the proper nourishment 
of the vine. 

Five hundred to 800 pounds per acre of a fertilizer con- 
taining 10$ of potash, 8$ of phosphoric acid, and 3^ of 
nitrogen would be an average application. 

Suggestions. Grapes of one variety or another may be 
grown in all parts of the country. The growing of grapes 
both for table use and wine making has become a large and 
profitable industry in several parts of the United States, 
especially in North Carolina, Virginia, New York, Ohio and 
California. The grower who aspires to success in produc- 
ing grapes on a large scale or for market must make a 
special study of this vine, and familiarize himself with all 
its habits and requirements. A few grape vines may be 
grown without special care in the garden for private use. 



GRASSES. 

Grasses of some kind flourish on every kind of soil, and 
in every part of the country, but no one kind of grass can be 
grown everywhere. Grasses should be selected to suit the 
soil. With more than 800 species native to North America, 
it is not difficult to make a selection. 

Fertilizing. Like all other plants, grasses need ferti- 
lizing when grown continuously on the same land. Perma- 
nent pastures usually secure a sufficient supply of nitrogen 
from the droppings of the stock and from leguminous 
plants which form a part of the sward to keep it in good 



84 farmers' guide. 

condition, but a fertilizer containing 8 per cent, phosphoric 
acid, and 8 per cent, potash, at the rate of 500 pounds oer 
acre should be added annually. 

Permanent Pastures. Permanent Pastures are usually- 
located on that part of the farm least available for cultiva- 
tion, and having poorest soil. On the lime soils of the middle 
and northern states, Kentucky bluegrass, (Poa pratensis) is 
the foundation of all permanent pastures, while on those con- 
taining little lime, Virginia bluegrass, (Poa compressa) is 
more satisfactory. To these should be added Rhode 
Island bent grass, orchard grass and perennial rye grass. 
In wet places red top and alsike clover should be sown. In 
the southern states, Bermuda grass, (Cynodon dactylon) 
takes the place of the blue grass, and is equally good, but 
does best only on a rich soil. Lespedeza is an excellent 
legume for general use for dry hills in southern pastures, 
while on wet ground, redtop, alsike, large water grass and 
others may be added to the Bermuda. On very sandy soils 
of the southern coast region, carpet grass is superior to 
Bermuda. It requires as good soil and as much care and 
preparation to make a good permanent pasture, as for any 
other crop. In selecting the seed, the aim should be to 
secure such a variety as to have at least one of the kinds 
chosen at its best at every changing time of the year. 

Permanent Meadow. In a permanent meadow, care 
should be taken to select varieties which mature at the 
same time. In the middle and northern states, the time- 
honored timothy is unrivalled for yield and salable quality, 







Rife 


£ 




"^^sl 



as Q 










z 

2 

< 

U 





o 



P5 



w 



farmers' guide. 87 

and is the standard. It grows well on all excepting wet 
soils, where it is replaced by redtop. Red clover is often 
sown with timothy, and though it adds to the yield the 
mixture is not wholly satisfactory, because the two do not 
mature at the same time. On the clay uplands a mixture 
of orchard grass, tall meadow fescue and tall meadow oat 
grass makes the heaviest crop and the best hay. On low 
bottom lands and prairie soils Johnson grass makes more 
good hay than any other grass, but when once established, 
is very difficult to kill, spreads rapidly by both roots and 
seeds, and so often becomes an exceedingly troublesome 
weed. Bermuda does well on similar lands, and makes a 
good yield of fine hay. On the sandy lands along the 
southern coast, the advisability of attempting to make per- 
manent meadows is doubtful, and there annual grasses are 
usually more satisfactory and profitable. The long season 
enables the farmer to grow two crops on nearly all except- 
ing his cotton lands, and if one of these is a volunteer 
grass crop, his hay costs him nothing except the gathering 
Lawn Making. For the middle and northern part of the 
country there is nothing better than Kentucky blue-grass, 
and for a really fine sod, it should be grown strictly with- 
out mixture. When anew lawn is to be formed, the surface 
should be made fine, smooth, and even. To a sandy soil 
add clay, and fertilize with ground bone and muriate of 
potash. Sow the seed at the rate of five bushels per acre, 
cover the seed with a heavy roller, and leave the ground 
perfectly smooth. Blue-grass rarely succeeds in the south, 



88 farmers' guide. 

its place is supplied by several other sorts. Bermuda, the 
best and most common, makes rather a weak growth on 
light, sandy soils unless heavily fertilized. Carpet grass 
and St. Augustine grass are also used along the southern 
coast, but because of their much lighter color, are not so 
attractive. Regular and frequent cutting with a lawn 
mower is essential to a good lawn anywhere, and the cut 
grass should be allowed to remain on the ground as a 
mulch. 



HEMR 

Soil. Hemp requires a soil naturally rich, which does 
not suffer from stagnant water. River bottom lands, 
formed by repeated overflows, are especially suited to its 
growth. 

Fertilizing. It is a gross feeder and needs heavy fertiliz- 
ing. Like all plants grown for fiber it must have an 
abundance of nitrogen and potash, while phosphoric acid 
seems less important. On ordinary soils, use, per acre, 
from 700 to 900 pounds of a fertilizer containing : 

Nitrogen, 5 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 9 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 6 " 

Bulletin 27 of the Kentucky Station says : " A fertilizer 
containing a large percentage of potash and nitrogen, and 
a small quantity of phosphoric acid is the kind to use on 
our soils for hemp/' 

Suggestions. Hemp is grown more extensively in the 






farmers' GUIDE. 89 

central part of the country, from Kentucky to Missouri, 
than elsewhere, though its cultivation is gradually extend- 
ing south and west. The further south the crop is grown 
the heavier the yield ; but the fiber is coarser and less 
valuable. It is often injured by a parasitic plant known as 
" broom-rape," which grows upon its roots. Rotation of 
crops, burning over infected fields, care in collecting seed 
for planting, and a liberal use of fertilizers, are suggested 
as means for preventing the development of the parasite. 



HOPS- 

Soil. Hops grow wild in nearly all parts of the United 
States, and are found on rich, sandy, well-drained river 
banks. They do best when planted on a high dry loam, 
similar to that to which they are native. 

Fertilizing. An excess of nitrogen and phosphoric 
acid produces large hops of inferior quality, which do not 
bring high prices, but a liberal use of potash improves the 
quality and price. As the plant is a perennial, a large 
proportion of vines and leaves remain on the soil. The 
first year use, per acre, 800 to 1,000 pounds of a fertilizer 
containing : 

Nitrogen, . - . . . 3 per cent. 
Actual potash, .... 10 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 8 " 

After the first year, the percentage of nitrogen and 
phosphoric acid may be reduced about one-half. 

Suggestions. Hops are propagated by slips or cuttings 



90 FARMERS GUIDE. 

of the roots, set in hills from 8 to 10 feet apart, from 3 to 
5 slips in a hill. The first year the land is cultivated suffi- 
ciently to keep it free from weeds, and the vines are allowed 
to trail on the ground. The second spring, poles for the 
climbing vines must be provided, one pole, 15 to 20 feet 
long set in each hill. When such poles cannot be pro- 
cured without too great expense, those 8 to 10 feet long 
may be used, and their tops connected by heavy wire or 
twine, to which the vines may cling. The hop for market 
is usually gathered as soon as matured and then dried in 
kilns. 



HORSERADISH. 

Soil. A deep, rich loam is best for horseradish, which 
utterly refuses to grow in hard clay, or any soil not in 
"good heart." The soil should be moist, but not wet; 
heavy crops are often grown on ditch banks. 

Fertilizing. The soil cannot be made too rich. Use 
per acre from 800 to 1,000 pounds of a fertilizer containing: 

Nitrogen, 4 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 9 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 7 " 

Suggestions. Horseradish can be grown on ground 
from which cabbage, beet or other early crops have been 
harvested, and if.the soil was well fertilized for those crops, 
not more than half the amount of fertilizer above recom- 
mended is needed. Small roots, 4 to 6 inches in length, J 
to £ inch in diameter, are used for planting. These are set 



FARMERS GUIDE. 91 

T6 to 18 inches apart between the rows of other vegetables, 
and by fall will be nearly a foot in length, i to i£ inches in 
diameter, and in their best condition for market. Digging 
can be done at any time before the ground freezes. The 
side roots and branches are broken off for planting, and the 
large roots packed away for selling at any time during the 
winter. 



JUTE. 

Jute requires the same soil and fertilizer as hemp. It 
has been planted to some extent in the southern states and 
California where no trouble has been experienced in secur- 
ing a heavy yield when planted on strong, moist soil. The 
great obstacle to its general cultivation is the want of a 
suitable machine for separating the fiber from the stalk. 



KAFFIR CORN. 

This is the most common of the many forms of non- 
saccharine sorghums, such as Dhourraor Durra Corn, Egypt- 
ian Corn, Jerusalem Corn, Millo Maize and other similar 
varieties, all of which need the same soil, fertilizer and 
treatment. 

Soil. A deep, rich, sandy loam is best, though it does 
fairly well on somewhat heavy soils, and is often grown on 
those comparatively dry. 

Fertilizing. The plant makes a rank growth and pro- 
duces a heavy crop of seed, and should be given a good 



92 FARMERS GUIDE. 

supply of a complete fertilizer. Use, per acre, from 400 to 
600 pounds of a fertilizer containing : 

Nitrogen, 2 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 9 " 

Available phosphoric acid, 6 " 
Suggestions. The planting and cultivation of Kaffir 
corn and its allies are the same as for sorghum. The crop 
is rapidly becoming popular, especially in regions subject to 
severe drouth. It not only makes a heavy yield of good 
forage, but also of seed* much greater than that of corn, 
even in seasons so dry as to make ordinary corn a failure, 
The seed is used in the place of corn and is worth fully 
three-fourths as much for feeding purposes. The report of 
the Kansas Station for 1898 states that "on the college 
farm, for the last nine years, the average yield per acre of 
Kaffir corn has been 45.9 bushels as against 34.2 of ordinary 
corn. When both crops were used for fattening hogs, the 
Kaffir corn gave 454 pounds of pork per acre, and the ordi- 
nary corn 402 pounds/' 



KALE-KOHL RABL 

(See Cabbage.) 



LETTUCE. 

Soil. The soil for lettuce should be a rich, mellow 
loam, and if somewhat sandy and gravelly it will be better 
than if too heavy. The ground must be well drained, and 
if level, is better made into narrow beds so that water from 



FARMERS GUIDE. 



93 



hec.vy rains will run off quickly. Lettuce is now grown 
under glass extensively, for which purpose the soil should 
be two parts well rotted sod, two of thoroughly decayed 
stable manure, and one of coarse sand or gravel. 

Fertilizing. Neither stems nor seeds are desired, and 
crispness and quality depend largely on the rapidity of its 
growth, hence the fertilizer should contain a large propor- 
tion of nitrogen, as compared with potash or phosphoric 
acid. Use, per acre, 1,000 pounds of a fertilizer con- 
taining : 

Nitrogen, 3 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 9 " 

Available phosphoric acid, 6 " 

When it is grown under glass, use for each 3x6 sash, at 
least two pounds of the above fertilizer. 

Suggestions. In the open, it may be planted between 
early cabbage and cut out before the cabbage needs all the 
space. The greatest difficuly in growing lettuce under 
glass is the drop, which is often very destructive, but which 
may be prevented by keeping the lettuce cool and well 
cultivated, to stimulate a vigorous growth, with sub-irriga- 
tion instead of surface water, and care in ventilation, the 
rot may be kept under complete control. 



LUCERNE. 

(See Alfalfa.) 



LUPINE. 

Soil. Lupines do best on a light, sandy soil, which is 



94 FARMERS GUIDE. 

poor in lime. Heavy loams and clays are not favorable for 
the yellow varieties, though the other varieties do fairly 
well on such soils. 

Fertilizing. Being a legume, lupine does not need 
nitrogen in the fertilizer, and is benefitted by phosphates. 
Lime is somewhat injurious, and the best fertilizer would 
be about 400 pounds per acre of a mixture containing 8$ 
potash and 8fo phosphoric acid. 

Suggestions. It is a valuable forage crop, but is grown 
principally for green manuring. It often makes a poor 
growth when planted for the first time, but continued 
planting on the same ground usually adapts the soil to the 
crop. According to experiments made by the Experiment 
Station at Bremen, Germany, the soil was made fit for 
lupines by the addition of small quantities of soil con- 
taining clover roots from a field where clover had been 
successfully grown. 



MANGEL WURZEL* 

(See Beets.) 



MELONS- 

Canteloupes, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins and squashes, 
need practically the same kind of soil, fertilizer and 
treatment. 

Soil. A light, rich, sandy loam is best for these crops, 
and satisfactory yields can never be secured on a wet heavy 
soil, or one which has not been well fertilized. Newly 



FARMERS GUIDE. 95 

cleared timber lands are excellently suited for melon 
ground. 

Cultivation. The hills are made by crossing furrows 
at right angles or squares. The hills should be from ten to 
twelve feet apart for watermelons, pumpkins, etc., for 
canteloupes and cucumbers, six feet. 

Fertilizing. Farmyard manure is useful in growing 
this crop. Use, per acre, about 1,200 pounds of a fertilizer 
containing: 

Nitrogen, ...... 3 per cent 

Actual Potash, .... 8 " 

Available Phosphoric acid, 8 " 

This should be applied — a large handful in each hill. 

Suggestions. It is desirable to have melons and cu- 
cumbers mature as early as possible, and many growers 
hasten them forward two or three weeks by planting the 
seed in flower pots placed in cold frames. Melons, squashes 
and cucumbers should be planted as early as it can be done 
and still have them safe from late frosts. Squashes and 
pumpkins can be grown on somewhat heavier soils than 
melons. 



MILLETS- 

Millet is a general term used to designate certain cereal 
and forage grasses. In some countries, certain sorghums 
are included under the name millet, while in this country 
several grasses of an entirely different character are locally 
so called. 



g6 farmers' guide. 

Soil. A fertile, mellow soil is preferable, and loams 
with little clay and not too much sand, give good results. 
The crop will grow well on good corn, wheat or oat land. 

Fertilizer. Millets are gross feeders, and a liberal fer- 
tilizing which produces a rapid growth, makes a much 
better quality, and greatly increases yield of hay. Use, per 
acre, 600 to 800 pounds of a fertilizer containing: 
Nitrogen, ...... 3 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 8 

Available Phosphoric acid, 8 " 

Suggestions. Of the several varieties of millet, differing 
principally in size, the one known as a German " millet 
grows from three to five feet high, and makes a large yield 
on heavy soils. The "common" millet grows 2^ to 4 feet 
high, and is the best variety for light soils. The "Hungarian" 
is the smaller and earlier maturing than those just named. 
Seed may be sown at almost any time during the summer 
and the crop will be ready to harvest in from 40 to 45 days 
from sowing, and should be cut as soon as the heads appear 
and before the seed becomes milky; when cut too late, the 
hay will be of poorer quality and unsafe for horse feed. 
"Pearl Millet," "Texas Millet," "African Millet," "Japanese 
Millet " and many others are cultivated occasionally, but they 
are not true millets, and few of them are of general value. 
"Japanese Barnyard " is one of the most valuable varieties 
for green forage or ensilage. 



MILLO MAIZE. 

(See Kaffir Corn.) 



FARMERS GUIDE. 97 

MINT. 

Soil. A rich loam or peaty soil, not too wet, is best for 
mint. 

Fertilizing. Mint is a perennial plant, so the soil should 
be made rich by growing clover or some other crop for 
green manuring before planting it. Use an annual top- 
dressing of 700 pounds per acre of a fertilizer containing: 

Nitrogen, 4 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 7 " 
Available Phosphoric acid, 7 " 

Suggestions. It is grown principally in New York and 
Michigan with a little in Mississippi and other southern 
states. The soil on which it is grown affects the quality of 
the oil in a marked degree, and tests should be made on 
small lots before large areas are planted. Where it does 
well it is very profitable. 



MUSTARD. 

Soil. Mustard will grow on almost any soil, even the 
very light and sandy. 

Fertilizer. Not much fertilizer is needed when it is 
grown after clover, early potatoes and other crops which 
have left the ground in good condition, but it pays to add a 
little when the seed is sown. When grown forseed, use, per 
acre, about 300 pounds of a fertilizer containing; 
Nitrogen, ...... 3 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 8 u 

Available Phosphoric acid, 7 " 



98 farmers' guide. I 

Suggestions. Mustard is often grown for green manur- 
ing, as it can be grown very quickly after early crops have 
been gathered. It does not, Like a legume, assimilate nitro- 
gen from the air, and so is less valuable for plowing under 
than plants of the pea family. It may, however, be an 
important agent in conserving nitrogen, as it prevents loss 
of that element by leaching in late fall or early winter. Its 
rapid growth and large size enables it to supply humus in 
larger amounts than could be secured from most other 
quick crops. 



OATS. 
Soil. While oats do best on a rich mellow loam, they 
will adapt themselves to almost anything, from thin uplands 
to reclaimed swamps. On dry soils, they produce much 
less straw in proportion to the grain than on those contain- 
ing an abundant supply of moisture. 

Fertilizer. Like other grains, oats need a liberal sup- 
ply of phosphoric acid and potash and sufficient nitrogen 
to secure a medium growth of straw. Apply per acre 400 
to 600 pounds of fertilizer analyzing : 

Nitrogen, 3 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 5 " 

Available phosphoric acid, 8 " 

Suggestions. In the north, oats are always sown in 

the spring, but in the south, frequently in the fall. Some 

varieties make valuable winter pasture, and the yield of 

grain is not injured if stock is taken off as soon as the 




OATS, UNFERTILIZED. EXPERIMENT BY PROF. WAGNER (GERMANY). 




OATS. COMPLETE FERTILIZER. EXPERIMENT BY PROF. WAGNER 

(GERMANY), 



FARMERS GUIDE. IOI 

plants begin to shoot. Oats, in common with most other 
small grains, suffer from smut (ustilage). This smut, like 
all other fungi, grows from spores which become attached 
to the seed oats before they are sown. Nearly all of these 
spores may be killed by dipping the seed oats in hot water 
15 minutes. The water- should be heated to 1327]- degrees 
F., and not vary more than two degrees from that tempera- 
ture. Full directions for this treatment have been published 
in Bulletins of several Experiment Stations. 



OLIVE. 

Soil. The Olive thrives best on sandy or gravelly soils 
and can be grown only in a warm climate. 

Fertilizing. Like other fruit trees, the olive needs 
large amounts of phosphoric acid and potash, with relatively 
little nitrogen. If crimson clover, vetches or cow-peas are 
grown in the orchard, little or no other nitrogen fertilizer 
need be used. Use from 2 to 4 pounds per tree of a 
fertilizer containing 

Actual Potash, .... 8 per cent. 
Available phosphoric acid, 8 " 

Suggestions. Olives are grown in California and to 
some extent along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The 
trees do not bear before they attain a considerable age, but 
old orchards, which have received good care are very 
profitable. The California Station has published a number 
of complete reports on its cultivation, and, in its report for 



102 FARMERS GUIDE. 

1890, states that the quality of the oil is generally in 
proportion to the amount of potash in the soil. 



ONIONS. 

Soil. Onions do best on a light, loamy soil which has 
been kept free from weeds by careful cultivation. They do 
better when grown year after year on the same land 
properly fertilized. The soil needs to contain considerable 
humus, and be retentive of moisture ; mucks are sometimes 
selected for onion farms. 

Fertilizing. Thoroughly rotted stable manure is a 
suitable fertilizer, but fresh stable manure should not be 
used because it contains seeds of grasses and weeds which 
will increase the labor in keeping the onions clean. Com- 
mercial fertilizers contain no seeds and are to be preferred. 
Nitrogen should be applied freely. Use, per acre, at least 
1,500 pounds of a fertilizer containing 

Nitrogen, 4 per cent. 

Actual Potash, . . . . 7 
Available phosphoric acid, 6 " 

Suggestions. If the onions are grown on a muck land, 
the amount of nitrogen which retards ripening, may be 
decreased to 2$, but the full percentage of phosphoric acid 
and potash should be given. Sulphate of potash often 
produces better results than muriate. Lime is also needed 
for onions. The usual practice has been to grow early 
onions from sets grown the previous year, but it is now 




ONIONS. 
(12) SHOWS YIELD FROM UNFERTILIZED PLOT. 

(9) " " " APPLICATION OF BONE BLACK AND MURIATE OF POTASH. 

MASSACHUSETTS EXPERIMENT STATION. 




ONIONS. 
(il) SHOWS YIELD FROM DRESSING OF 32O LBS. LIME PER ACRE. 
(IO) M " 44 APPLICATION OF NITRATE OF SODA, LONE 

BLACK AND MURIATE OF POTASH 

MASSACHUSETTS EXPERIMENT STATION. 



FARMERS GUIDE. log 

becoming a common practice in the middle and southern 
states to sow the seed in hot-beds or cold frames, six or 
eight weeks before they can be put in the field, and trans- 
plant the young seedlings. The expense of growing seed- 
lings in this way is less than the cost of growing sets, the 
plants make a more rapid growth and the crop is of better 
quality. Heavy late crops are sometimes grown by sowing 
the seed broadcast on very rich, newly plowed sod and 
covering with light harrow, but the success of such crops 
depends almost wholly on the uncertain, unreliable weather 
during the two or three weeks after sowing. 



ORANGES AND LEMONS. 

Soil. A deep, mellow and well drained soil is necessary 
for the orange and lemon. The black hammock lands of 
Florida, the alluvial lands of the lower Mississippi, and the 
loose, gravelly lands of California produce heavy crops of 
fine fruit. 

Fertilizing. The fruit of the orange contains unusually 
large amounts of lime, phosphoric acid and potash, and 
therefore these elements should be supplied liberally. 
The California soils contain more lime and potash, but 
phosphoric acid is greatly needed. Use from 5 to 10 pounds 
per tree of a mixture containing 

Nitrogen, 4 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 9 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 8 " 

The amounts recommended above may seem excessive, 



106 farmers' guide. 

but as a crop from an orange grove in full bearing is at 
least 20,000 pounds per acre, which contains 16 pounds of 
phosphoric acid, 45.9 of lime and more than 100 pounds of 
potash, it may readily be seen that it is not too great. 

Suggestions. Orange trees need thorough but shallow 
cultivation when young, and because of the leaves remain- 
ing on the trees during the winter, the ground beneath 
them should be kept covered as thoroughly as possible. 
Crimson clover is the best crop for that purpose, and, when 
plowed under in the spring, there will usually be enough 
plants left around and under the trees to reseed the grove 
for the following season. 



PARSNIPS. 

The parsnip needs similar soil and treatment as recom- 
mended for the carrot, and nearly the same kind of 
fertilizer, though the nitrogen and potash should be 
increased about one-fourth while the amount of phosphate 
may with advantage be doubled. 



PEACH AND ALMOND. 

Soil. The peach and almond thrive best on well 
drained, somewhat sandy and gravelly upland ; in fact, 
some of the most successful orchards are on soils too light 
and sandy for most other crops. 

Fertilizer. Although the peach will grow on a thin 
soil, it needs high fertilizing to produce full crops of the 
large, well-flavored, high-colored fruit. When the trees 




PEACHES, UNFERTILIZED. EXPERIMENT FARM, SOUTHERN PINES, N. C. 




PEACHES WITH COMPLETE FERTILIZER, POTASH. PHOSPHORIC ACID 
AND NITROGEN. EXPERIMENT FARM, SOUTHERN PINES, N. C. 



FARMERS GUIDE. IO9 

are first planted, growth should be stimulated by using 
about one pound per tree of a fertilizer containing 

Nitrogen, 3 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 9 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 9 " 

With advancing age, the amount of fertilizer used should 
be increased about one pound per tree, each year, until the 
trees are in full bearing. If clover, peas or other legumes 
are grown in the orchard, a part of the nitrogen may be 
omitted from the fertilizer. 

Suggestions. The peach orchard should be kept culti- 
vated and no other crop raised between the trees after the 
first two or three years. Irish or sweet potatoes, or melons 
are good crops for a young orchard, but when the trees 
begin to bear, it is better to seed the ground with crimson 
clover, vetch or lespedeza in the south, and with peas or 
red clover in the north. 

The " yellows" is the most troublesome disease affecting 
the trees. This disease is more prevalent in the north than 
in the south, and, while its effects may be partly counter- 
balanced by heavy applications of potash, the only safe 
treatment is to dig and burn every affected tree. That 
most troublesome insect, the u Peach borer" which attacks 
the trees just above the surface of the ground can do little 
harm if the soil be mounded up a foot high around the, 
base of each tree. 



IIO FARMERS GUIDE. 

PEANUTS- 

Soil. The peanut does best on a light, sandy soil, rich 
in lime. It is useless to plant peanuts on muck land or on 
heavy clay. 

Fertilizing. If the soil be not rich in lime, it must be 
made so by the use of land plaster (gypsum) or, if more 
convenient, by air-slaked lime. The valuable part of the 
crop is the nuts, hence phosphoric acid and potash should 
be used liberally, 600 to 700 pounds of a fertilizer contain- 
ing 8</c potash and 8</ phosphoric acid is about right. 

Bulletin No. 31 of the Arkansas Station says : "The 
plant has, in a high degree, the capacity to produce its 
nitrogen from the air through the tuberculous growth on 
its roots, and therefore does not require much, if any 
nitrogenous manure. But like all legumes, mineral ma- 
nures are especially beneficial, and potash and phosphoric 
acid should be applied to all poor soils." 

Suggestions. Peanuts are grown largely in all of the 
southern states. Planting should be done at the same time 
beans are planted, in rows 3 -J- to 4 feet apart, 18 to 24 inches 
apart in the rows. If the seeds are hulled before planting, 
they will germinate more quickly, but it must be done so 
carefully as not to break the skin of the seeds or they will 
decay. Many growers prefer to plant without hulling. 
The two most common varieties are the white and the red. 
The Spanish peanut is grown extensively in the Gulf States 
as feed for hogs and 1 for hay. 





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FARMERS GUIDE. II3 

PEARS. 

Pears require the same soil and fertilizer as the apple, 
but will grow further south, succeeding well in the extreme 
southern part of the country. 

Suggestions. " Fire Blight " is a most destructive 
disease on pear trees,' and no reliable remedy or preventive 
has yet been found. If the blight makes its appearance 
every disea-ed limb and twig should be burned after being 
cut away, well below the diseased parts. Most pears fruit 
more freely if their flowers are fertilized by pollen from 
some other varieties, so it is better to plant occasional trees 
of different kinds, even though the bulk of the trees are of 
a single variety. 

PEAS- 

In the north the ordinary garden pea is the " Pisum 
sativum " and is often called the " English " pea. In the 
south the cow-pea " Dolichos sinensis " which has already 
been discussed under that name, is often spoken of as 
u peas " 

Soil. A good sandy loam, or light clay loam is the best 
soil for peas, and it should not contain too much humus, 
which makes an excess of vines and a scarcity of pods. 

Fertilizer. No nitrogen is needed beyond a small 
amount to give the plants a vigorous start Use from 600 
to 800 pounds per acre of a fertilizer containing : 
Actual potash, .... 8 per cent. 
Available phosphoric acid, 8 " 



114 FARMERS GUIDE. 

This is a heavier application than is needed for the peas 
alone, unless they are wanted as early as possible, in which 
case their growth should be hastened by liberal fertilizing, 
especially with phosphoric acid. Any of the fertilizer not 
used by the peas will remain in the soil without loss, and 
become so thoroughly dissolved that it will be immediately 
available for the succeeding crop, which will need but 
little more, and which should be planted as soon as the peas 
are gathered. 

Suggestions. The peas grow well in cool weather, en- 
dure moderate frosts without injury, and should be sown as 
early in the spring as the ground can be worked. In the 
south they are often sown in December, to be ready for 
market in March. When grown in warm weather, the vines 
are usually much weakened, if not killed, by mildew. 



PIEPLANT. 

(See Rhubarb.) 



PINEAPPLES* 

Soil. A light, sandy loam is the best for pineapples, 
which can be grown only in localities wholly free from 
frost. 

Fertilizer. Before planting a field of pineapples, it is 
well to raise on it a good crop of cow-peas, which should be 
fertilized very heavily. During the early growth of the 
pineapple it needs a considerable amount of nitrogen. As 
the plants become older, considerable amounts of phos- 




PEARS, (KIEFFER) UNFERTILIZED. EXPERIMENT FARM, 
SOUTHERN PINES, N. C. 




PEARS (KIEFFER) WITH COMPLETE FERTILIZER, POTASH, PHOSPHORIC 
ACID AND NITROGEN. EXPERIMENTAL FARM, SOUTHERN PINES, N. C. 




PLUMS, UNFERTILIZED. EXPERIMENT FARM, SOUTHERN PINES, N. C. 



Dpi ii ' ^T^BTWBBKini^iintt ' fi v^Sh£999I 




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PLUMS WITH COMPLETE FERTILIZER, POTASH, PHOSPHORIC ACID AND 
N1TKOGEN. EXPERIMENT FARM, SOUTHERN PINES, N, C 



FARMERS GUIDE. 117 

phoric acid and potash are needed. A bearing pineapple 
field should receive yearly, per acre, from 1,200 to 1,600 
pounds more of a fertilizer containing : 

Available phosphoric acid, 9 per cent. 
Nitrogen, ....... 4 " 

Actual potash, .... 9 " 

In making the application, the fertilizer should not be 
allowed to come in contact with the leaves. 

Suggestions. The only parts of the United States in 
which pineapples can be grown successfully are southern 
Florida, where their cultivation is proving exceedingly 
profitable. 

PLUMS* 
Soil. Plums do best on a rather compact clay, though 
they thrive on a somewhat sandy soil having a clay subsoil. 
Fertilizer. Like all hardwood trees, plums require 
large supplies of potash, and are greatly benefitted by an 
annual application of from 500 to 700 pounds of a fertili- 
zer containing : 

Actual potash, .... 8 per cent. 
Available phosphoric acid, 9 " 

Nitrogen, 2 " 

Suggestions. There are in cultivation many varieties 
of plums which have come from several distinct species 
and hybrids. In the northeastern states the European 
sorts, like Green gage, Washington and Lombard, are gen- 
erally preferred ; in the middle and northwestern states 



Il8 FARMERS GUIDE. 

some of the American sorts, like Wild Goose, Chicasaw 
and Minor succeed better, while in the southern states, the 
Japanese varieties, Burbank, Abundance, Red June and 
others are more popular. All need the same general treat- 
ment. In the central and northern states, the " black- 
knot " is troublesome and is best treated by the prompt 
removal of all infected twigs. Brown rot of the fruit is 
more difficult to treat; but may be largely prevented by 
gathering and burning all diseased fruit. The curculio is 
the most troublesome insect, but many ot the beetles may be 
killed by spraying the trees with one pound of Paris green 
in ioo gallons of water. Spray just before the flowers 
open, and again ten days later. 



POTATOES* 

(Irish.) 

Soil. Irish potatoes grow best on a light, mellow sandy 
loam fairly moist, but well drained. If grown on dry and 
heavy soil, the yield is light, while a wet soil produces 
potatoes of watery, poor flavor. 

Fertilizer. Fresh stable manure is almost sure to make 
the potatoes scabby, irregular in shape and coarse in 
texture. A crop of 200 bushels of potatoes removes from 
the soil in tubers, etc., 46 pounds of nitrogen, 74 pounds of 
potash and 21 pounds of phosphoric acid, which clearly 
shows the need of mineral fertilizers. Use, per acre, from 
1,000 to 1,500 pounds of a fertilizer containing : 




IRISH POTATOES, VERY POOR LAND, UNFERTILIZED. J. M. MC MURTREY, 
RISON, ARK. YIELD 7| BUSHELS PER ACRE. 




IRISH POTATOES, VERY POOR LAND, FROM PLOT RECEIVING COMPLETE 

FERTILIZER CONTAINING 2>% NITROGEN, 8^ PHOSPHORIC ACID 

AND 12$ POTASH. J. M. MC MURTREY, RISON, ARK. 

YIELD 97| BUSHELS PER ACRE. 



FARMERS GUIDE. 12 1 

Nitrogen, 3 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 9 il 

Available phosphoric acid, 6 " 

Much larger quantities are successfully used. Like all 
starch producing plants, it needs a liberal supply of potash; 
and of the potash salts, sulphate is regarded as better than 
either the muriate or kainit. 

Bulletin No. 12 of the New Hampshire station says : 
"So far as this series of plots is concerned, we have evi- 
dence that nitrogen is of the least importance, potash of 
the most, and phosphoric acid intermediate, and it is clearly 
the case that phosphoric acid and potash combined give a 
good crop, well up towards the complete mixtures." The 
report of the Massachusetts Station for 1895 says: " The 
yield of potatoes in every instance is larger in case sulphate 
of potash has furnished the potash of the fertilizer used 
than where muriate of potash has served for that purpose.'' 
Bulletin No. 21 of the Kentucky Station says: " From the 
results obtained it would appear that both potash and 
nitrogen are needed on our soil for potatoes ; that potash 
alone greatly increases the yield ; that nitrogen does to 
some extent, but that best results are obtained by a com- 
bination of the two. Trials for six years have shown that 
potash greatly increases the yield of potatoes when applied 
to our soil.' , 

Suggestions. Hundreds of experiments have been 
made in planting large and small whole potatoes ; and 
potatoes cut in pieces of various size. The results of these 



122 FARMERS GUIDE. 

experiments have been very contradictory and seem to have 
been influenced as much by the soil and season as by the 
kind of seed used. In ordinary practice the best results 
generally come from planting good sized, well matured and 
healthy tubers, cut to two or three eyes. 

Potato scab can be prevented by soaking the seed, 
either whole or cut, for two hours, in a solution of corrosive 
sublimate, {2 oz. to 18 gallons of water) or in a solution of 
formalin 1 to 250. Potato rot and blight can usually be 
prevented by spraying with the Bordeaux mixture, and the 
ravages of the Colorado (potato) beetle can easily be pre- 
vented by dusting the vines with Paris green or London 
purple. 



POTATOES. 

(Sweet.) , 

Soil. A light, sandy loam is best for sweet potatoes ? 
and it is useless to plant them on any wet or heavy soil. 

Fertilizer. The soil should be rich, but not contain an 
excess of nitrogen, or the plant will run too much to vines 
and the potatoes will be coarse and watery. When sweet 
potatoes have been grown on the same land for years, the 
soil is said to become ''potato sick." For ordinary soils, 
use, per acre, from 600 to 800 pounds of a fertilizer con- 

Xitrogen, 2 per cent. 

Actual Potash, . . ... 7 
Available phosphoric acid, 6 







SWEET POTATOES, UNFERTILIZED. EXPERIMENT FARM, SOUTHERN 
PINES, N. C. 




SWEET POTATOES WITH COMPLETE FERTILIZER, POTASH, PHOSPHORIC 
ACID AND NITROGEN. EXPERIMENT FARM, SOUTHERN PINES, N, C. 



I ■ . . . S^ag 




SWEET POTATOES FROM PLOT TREATED WITH LIME; YIELD PER ACRE 
220 BASKETS. J. W. KILLEN, FELTON, DEL. 







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SWEET POTATOES FROM PLOT RECEIVING COMPLETE FERTILIZER, CON- 
TAINING 3% NITROGEN, 8$ PHOSPHORIC ACID AND I2# POTASH. 
YIELD 600 BASKETS PER ACRE. J. W. KILLEN, FELTON, DEL. 



FARMERS GUIDE. I25 

Bulletin No. 54 of the New Jersey Station says: 
"Wherever potash was used the improvement in the value 
of the crop was from 8 per cent, to 107 per cent. In all 
cases where potash was excluded the decreases in the value 
of the second potato crop are serious being from 36 to 63 
per cent." 

Suggestions. In the middle and northern states, sweet 
potatoes must be planted very early, using sprouts from* 
potatoes planted in hot-beds. In the South small plant- 
ings are made early in the spring either by planting pieces 
of potatoes or sprouts grown in beds. After these have 
grown a short time the ends of the vines are clipped off for 
successive plantings as late as July, the main crop being 
grown on land from which Irish potatoes, melons or 
some other early crop has been harvested. The potatoes 
are kept through the winter like Irish potatoes, but must 
be kept at a temperature of about 60 degrees F. In the 
north care must be taken to keep them warm, while in the 
south the endeavor is to keep them cool. In any case, 
they must be kept dry. 



PUMPKINS- 

(See Melons). 



QUINCES. 
Soil. Quinces do best on a moist clay, abounding in 
humus, especially if the ground about the roots is some- 
what shaded. Where only a few are grown it is a good 



126 farmers' guide. 

plan to secure shade by planting them on the north side of 
a fence or building. When planted on lighter dry soil, 
they sometimes make a fair growth, but rarely bear well. 

Fertilizing. It needs the same fertilizer as the apple 
and is greatly benefited by an occasional mulching with 
fresh stable manure. 

Suggestions. Quinces are commonly treated with 
neglect, but there is no fruit which will give better return 
for good care. They are easily grown from cuttings set in 
the open ground in the fall. The more common varieties 
are the " Champion " in the south and the " Orange " in 
the north. The trees should be well cultivated until they 
come into bearing, when the ground should be seeded with 
clover or some other legume. 



RADISHES. 

Soil. Radishes, which are grown mainly for use in 
early spring, should be planted on the lightest and warmest 
soil which can be found. Their growth is slow and their 
quality poor when planted on wet or heavy soils. 

Fertilizing. The more quickly a radish is grown, the 

better it will be, so nitrogen should be used freely, with an 

abundant supply of potash to produce its much desired 

large starchy root. Seed is not wanted, so little phosphoric 

acid is needed. Use, per acre, from 700 to 900 pounds of a 

fertilizer containing: 

Nitrogen, 5 per cent. 

Actual Potash, .... 9 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 6 " 



FARMERS GUIDE. 127 

When only small areas are planted, use about 5 pounds 
of the fertilizer on each square rod. 

Suggestions. Radishes are ready for use about six 
weeks after they are planted, and are usually grown as a 
catch crop to occupy the ground until it is needed for other 
purposes. After beets are planted, radish seed is often 
scattered broadcast between the rows and covered with a 
rake. The turnip rooted sorts mature a few days earlier, 
and are better flavored than the long rooted kinds, but 
yield much less. For the home garden both kinds should 
be planted so as to prolong the season. 



RAMIE. 

Soil. A deep, rich alluvial soil which never suffers 
from drouth is best for ramie. It is one of the few plants 
which will thrive on alkali lands, provided they do not 
contain carbonate of soda. 

Fertilizer. Ramie needs very heavy fertilizing. It is 

a perennial, and ten tons of stalks per acre is a fair yield. 

Such a crop takes from the soil every year, 370 pounds of 

nitrogen, 156 pounds of phosphoric acid, and 252 pounds 

of potash. The bark alone removes 206 pounds of nitrogen, 

11 pounds phosphoric acid, and 28 pounds of potash. If 

the stalks and leaves are stripped and returned to the field 

as manure, the fertilizer used per acre should be from 600 

to 800 pounds of a mixture containing: 

Nitrogen, 4 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 9 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 6 " 



128 farmers' guide. 

If this refuse be not returned to the field, the fertilizer 
application should be doubled. 

Suggestions. Ramie is usually propagated by dividing 
the roots. It makes a luxuriant growth in the south, and 
in California, but has not come into general cultivation for 
want of a machine to separate the fiber from the stalk. The 
fiber is imported from India and China, where the separa- 
tion is done by hand. As soon as machinery is devised for 
doing this work economically, it is believed that ramie will 
become an important crop in the warmer parts of the 
United States. 



RAPE. 
Soil. A strong loam or clay is generally preferred, but 
any soil which will make a good crop of corn or potatoes 
will also make a good crop of rape. 

Fertilizer. Rape is a heavy feeder and needs heavy 
manuring to make its best yield. It is grown for its stems 
and leaves, so the fertilizer must be rich in nitrogen and 
potash. It is near of kin to the turnip, and like it responds 
to liberal applications of phosphoric acid also. Use, per 
acre, from 600 to 800 pounds of a fertilizer containing: 
Nitrogen, . . : . . 4 per cent. 
Actual potash, .... 8 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 8 
Suggestions. Rape has much the appearance of a 
Swedish turnip, but grows from 2 to 3 feet high, and its 
leaves make excellent forage. It is specially valuable as a 



FARMERS GUIDE. 129 

soiling crop and gives good grazing for hogs, sheep and 
cattle other than milch cows, as it gives a peculiar flavor to 
the milk. It succeeds much better in the north than in the 
south. 



RASPBERRIES. 

Soil. A deep, rich clay loam is best for raspberries 
On light soils they do well for a time, but are short lived. 

Fertilizer. Use per acre from 600 to 800 pounds of a 
fertilizer containing : 

Nitrogen, 3 per cent. 

Actual potash, . . . 9 " 

Available phosphoric acid, 7 " 

Suggestions. The general treatment of raspberries 
should be the same as that recommended for blackberries. 
The two types most commonly grown in this country are 
the blacks and reds ; the former as well as many of the 
red varieties, are natives of the northern states, while other 
red sorts are of European origin. The black varieties 
multiply by rooting the tips of the canes, while the red 
ones multiply by sprouts from the roots. Both succeed 
better in the north than in the south, and neither is profit- 
able in the extreme south, though the blacks will bear a 
warmer climate than the reds. 



RHUBARB. 

(Pieplant.) 

Soil. Rhubarb is grown solely for its fleshy and juicy 



130 FARMERS GUIDE. 

leaf-stalks, which should quickly reach their full size, and 
for which result a deep, very fertile soil is essential. A 
mellow clay which is somewhat moist is best, as the plants 
suffer quickly from drouth. 

Fertilizer. Good rhubarb can be grown only on very 
rich soil and there is no danger that the soil will be made 
too rich. A heavy application of stable manure is good, 
but greater satisfaction will follow the use of the fertilizer 
recommended for asparagus. 

Suggestions. Rhubarb cannot endure a warm climate, 
and is of no value in the southern part of the United 
States. In the cooler climate of the north the plants con- 
tinue to grow stronger for many years if liberally fertilized, 
and the crop is often very profitable. 



RICE. 
Soil. Water rice or swamp rice needs low land, diked 
and ditched for flooding and draining. Upland rice grows 
best on black, peaty soils which never suffer from drouth. 

Fertilizer. Planters of water rice find that it pays well 
to use, per acre, from 400 to 500 pounds of a fertilizer con- 
taining : 

Nitrogen, 3 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 6 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 6 " 

On peaty uplands only about half this nitrogen is needed, 
but the other elements should be doubled. 

Suggestions. Water rice, which constitutes the bulk 




RYE UNFERTILIZED. F. E DAWLEY, FAYETTEVILLE, N. Y. 
YIELD 1,720 LBS. GRAIN PER ACRE. 




RYE WITH COMPLETE FERTILIZER, POTASH, PHOSPHORIC ACID AND. 

NITROGEN. F. E. DAWLEY, FAYETTEVILLE, N. Y- 

YIELD 3 420 LBS. GRAIN PER ACR£, 



FARMERS GUIDE. 133 

of the rice of commerce, is grown near the coast, from 
North Carolina to Louisiana. Upland rice is grown in the 
same region, but further from the coast. It is grown 
much like wheat, excepting that the drills are 15 to 18 
inches apart to admit of cultivation, which greatly in- 
creases the yield. 

RUTA BAGAS- 

(See Turnips ) 



RYE. 

Soil. When grown for grain, rye does well on soils 
light in texture and containing but little nitrogen. A soil 
rich in nitrogen will produce a rank growth of straw with 
light yield of grain. It succeeds better on high and dry, 
soil than on low, heavy lands. If grown for soiling or 
grazing, it should be on the richest loam available, so as to 
secure the heaviest possible growth. 

Fertilizer. When grown for grain, stable manure 
should not be used, and even clover sod usually contains 
too much nitrogen. Soil otherwise in good condition is 
usually poor in potash, and on such the best yields will be. 
secured by using, per acre, from 600 to 800 pounds of a 
fertilizer containing : 

Actual potash, .... 6 per cent. 
Available phosphoric acid, 6 " 

When grown for soiling or grazing, stable manure 
should be used freely, or the fertilizer should contain 3 per 
cent nitrogen. 



i34 Farmers guide. 

Suggestions. Rye is a valuable crop for soiling and 
winter grazing in the south, and one of the best for early 
spring grazing in the north. 



SALSIFY. 

Salsify requires the same soil and fertilizer recom- 
mended for carrots, but the subsoil must be loose, as the 
roots reach a depth of 12 to 15 inches. 

Suggestions. Salsify is rapidly coming into general use. 
Its cultivation is as easy and simple as that of beets and 
carrots, and the roots can remain in the ground through the 
winter without injury. In the north it is usually dug and 
put in the cellar on the approach of winter, and in the 
south it can remain in the soil and be dug whenever it is 
wanted through the winter. 



SOILING CROPS. 

The term "soiling/* has been applied to the practice 
of keeping cattle confined and feeding them 'on green-cut 
fodder. A much larger number of animals can be kept on 
the same area of land in this way than by pasturing. Few 
realize the immense quantity of feed that can be cut from 
an acre of fertile soil by keeping up a constant succession 
of crops. 

A report of the Pennsylvania Station says : " In round 
numbers we can produce from three to five times as much 
digestible food per acre by means of the soiling crops, (rye 
and corn, or clover and corn) as is produced by pas- 



Farmers' guide. 135 

turage such as is represented by our small plat." The plat 
in question was believed fairly to represent the average pas- 
ture. In a similar comparison made at the Wisconsin 
Station in four months, cows on upland bluegrass pasture 
produced 1,779 pounds of milk per acre of land used 
while when fed on green clover, oats and cut corn- 
fodder, the product was 4,782 pounds of milk per acre. 
From this Professor Henry concludes that " it is fair to state, 
that by soiling in summer a certain area of land will yield 
double the amount of milk and butter that it will w T hen 
pastured." The Iowa, Massachusetts and other Stations 
have secured similar results. 

To make soiling economical, heavy yields must be 
secured, and for heavy yields, heavy fertilization is essen- 
tial, using such fertilizers as are recommended for different 
forage crops. Forage is the one thing wanted, so stable 
manure should be used in large amounts. The best crops 
and succession for soiling will vary with the locality and 
soil where they are grown. The Connecticut Experiment 
Station suggest the following series for that state, viz : Rye 
fodder, wheat fodder, clover, grass, oats and peas, Hungar- 
ian clover, soy-beans, cow-peas, grass, barley and peas 
which crops give a succession of cuttings from May to 
October. Further south these crops should be replaced by 
others : Oats and vetch, crimson clover, red clover, sor- 
ghum, corn and cow-peas supplying the succession. Near 
the Gulf coast rice, teosinte and other crops may be used, 
while in the western and some of the southern states, 



136 farmers' guide. 

alfalfa alone will furnish green food during more than half 
the year. In many parts of the United States the Japanese 
barnyard millet is now regarded as one of the most valu- 
able soiling crops. Soiling requires less land and more labor 
than pasturing, and its economy must be decided by the 
relative cost of the two in any particular locality. 



SORGHUM. 

Soil. Sorghum makes growth on a heavy black loam 
and when grown for forage should be planted on such. 
When grown for syrup, it should be on a lighter and sand- 
ier loam, where the growth will not be so rank or the yield 
so heavy, but the juice will be sweeter, and the syrup a 
lighter color and better flavor on such land. 

Fertilizer. For forage, bulk is the thing wanted, and 
the fertilizer should be rich in nitrogen and stable manure 
is good. Use per acre, from 600 to 800 of fertilizer con- 
taining : 

Nitrogen, 4 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 8 u 

Available phosphoric acid, 6 " 

For svrup not more than half as much nitrogen and no 
stable manure should be used. 

Suggestions. Early Amber and Early Orange are 
among the best early varieties, while Colman's Link Hy- 
brid are among the best late ones. Sorghum is one of the 
best plants for soiling and for hog grazing, but when it 



FARMERS GUIDE. 137 

begins to make a second growth it is unsafe pasturage for 
cattle. 

SOY BEAN. 

Soil. The soy bean does best on a rich, moist, sandy 
loam, though it will do well on almost any soil excepting a 
hard, dry clay or one too wet. 

Fertilizer. No nitrogen is needed, but as the plant 
produces a heavy crop of seed, it needs an abundance of 
phosphoric acid and potash. Use fertilizer recommended 
for rye. In the report of the Massachusetts Station for 
1896, it is stated that "The test with soy beans showed that 
potash had the greatest effect upon the increase and 
quality of the crop." 

Suggestions. The soy bean is erect and bushy in its 
growth, sometimes producing stems too coarse and woody 
to be eaten, but, by producing a large amount of leaves 
and an immense yield of seed, on good soils, it yields more 
forage and seed than the cow pea, but on poor soils the pea 
is a better crop. The seeds are sometimes sold as "coffee 
beans" and are used as a substitute for coffee. 



SPINACH. 

Soil. Spinach prefers a light, warm, well-drained soil, 
containing an abundance of humus. 

Fertilizer. Market gardeners in the south sow it in 
August or September on land intended the next spring for 
a crop of early snap beans, using, per acre, from 800 to 
i,oco pounds of a fertilizer containing : 



I38 FARMERS* GUIDE. 

Nitrogen, 4 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 8 " 

Available phosphoric acid, 8 " 
The spinach is cut during the winter, and there will be 
sufficient fertilizer left in the soil to carry the crop of beans 
which follows. 

Suggestions. Spinach is perfectly hardy and will stand 
the winter in nearly all parts of the United States. The 
smooth seeded sorts are now the most commonly grown, 
the most popular being the " Norfolk Savoy " though 
the <; Viroflay" is usually more productive. 



SPURRY, 

Soil. Spurry makes its best growth on very sandy soils, 
and will do well where it is so light and barren as to support 
hardly any other vegetation. 

Fertilizer. Grown on such sandy soil, containing little 
plant food, spurry should be well fertilized to secure a vigor- 
ous growth. Use, per acre, from 600 to 800 pounds of a 
fertilizer containing : 

Nitrogen, 4 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 9 " 
Available phosphoric acid. 8 '' 

Suggestions. It grows much better in the north than 
in the south, and is especially valuable as a first crop on 
a sandy, pine-barren lands. On such soils it makes a better 
growth than any other plant, and, if plowed under green, 
forms humus for the following crops. It is eaten well by 



FARMERS GUIDE. 141 

cattle. The Pennsylvania Station obtained a yield of 3,403 
pounds of dry hay per acre, while the Oregon Station 
reports 20 tons of green forage per acre. The Louisiana 
and Mississippi Stations report a weak growth of only a 
few inches in height. 



SQUASHES. 

(See Melons.) 



STRAWBERRIES* 

Soil. Strawberries do best on a rich, light loam free 
from drouth. The growth on a heavy, dry clay is weak, 
and on a soil containing too much vegetable matter exces- 
sive in leaves and deficient in berries. 

Fertilizer. Strawberries need an abundant supply of a 
complete fertilizer. Stable manure is objectionable especi- 
ally on account of the seeds of grasses and weeds which it 
contains. Commercial fertilizers are more satisfactory. 
After the plants are set, apply per acre from 800 to 1,000 
pounds of a fertilizer containing: 

Nitrogen, 4 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 9 " 

Available phosphoric acid, 9 " 

Suggestions. The two common methods of growing 
strawberries are in hills and in matted rows. In hills the 
plants are set about 18 inches apart in the rows, with the 
rows about three feet apart. This method requires very high 
cultivation and constant care in cutting off the runners, but it 



142 FARMERS GUIDE. 

gives the largest and finest berries, and usually the heaviest 
yield. When in matted rows the plants are set about a foot 
apart in rows 4 feet apart, and allowed to cover a space 2 
to 3 feet in width along the rows. This method requires 
much less labor than cultivation in hills, and is the method 
more commonly followed where the fruit is grown in large 
quantities for market. Whichever method of planting is 
followed it pays well to give the plants a heavy mulching 
in the fall to protect them from the winter cold, and to 
cover the ground, so that the berries will not be covered 
with sand by heavy rains during the ripening time. Hay, 
soy-beans, straw, chaffed corn, stover, forest leaves or 
cotton seed hulls make excellent mulching. 

The most troublesome insect is the " Strawberry Crown 
Borer " which often kills a large part of the plants the 
second year. As the insect cannot fly, it can be avoided by 
planting on fresh ground every year, and plowing up the 
old plants after they have made their second crop. Leaf 
blight, which shows itself by bright red or purple spots on 
the leaves, is the most troublesome disease, but can be held 
in check by removing the affected leaves early in the spring 
and spraying the young leaves with Bordeaux mixture. 



SUGAR CANE. 

Soil. A deep, rich loam or alluvial soil is best for 
sugar cane, but by using sufficient fertilizer, it can be 
grown on almost any southern soil with good drainage. 

Fertilizer, The yield of cane, 25 to 40 tons per acre, 



FARMERS GUIDE. 143 

emphasizes the need of liberal fertilizing. The best pre- 
paratory crop is cow-peas, plowed under in the fall. A 
good fertilizer would be from 600 to 800 pounds of a mix- 
ture containing : 

Nitrogen, 3 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 9 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 8 " 
Suggestions. Sugar cane, or " Louisiana Cane " as it 
is often called, can be profitably grown only in the extreme 
southern states and fully 90^ of that grown in the whole 
country is grown in Louisiana. It does not produce seed 
in this country, but is propagated by pieces of the old 
cane, laid lengthwise and covered in the bottom of a deep 
furrow. 



SUNFLOWER. 
Soil. The sunflower will grow on almost any soil, but 
does best on a deep, strong loam with plenty of moisture. 
Fertilizer. It is an exhaustive crop and needs to be 
well fertilized, especially with phosphoric acid, to secure 
a heavy yield of seed. Use, per acre, from 400 to 600 
pounds of a fertilizer containing : 

Nitrogen, 3 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 7 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 8 " 
Suggestions. Sunflower seeds are among the most 
fattening of grains, and are of special value for sheep and 
poultry, being in many localities the cheapest poultry feed 



144 FARMERS GUIDE. 

which can be grown. The yield equals that of corn, while 
the grain is much more fattening. 



TEOSINTE* 

Soil. A rich loam, heavy rather than sandy, is best for 
this crop. It bears drouth well, but makes its best yield 
on moist, rather than dry ground. 

Fertilizing. Teosinte is grown solely for forage, hence 
nitrogen and potash should be given freely, while a large 
supply of phosphoric acid is not needed. Use, per acre 
from 300 to 600 pounds of a fertilizer containing : 

Nitrogen, 4 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 8 " 

Available phosphoric acid, 6 " 
Stable manure, to which kainit has been added, may take 
the place of the above fertilizer ; use ten tons per acre. 

Suggestions. Teosinte is a tropical plant and succeeds 
best in the extreme south, though it is reported as growing 
well as far north as Pennsylvania and Kansas. It grows 
much like corn, though with longer, more numerous leaves, 
and rarely produces seed in this country. It should be 
planted twice as far apart as corn, because of its enormous 
"stooling" a single seed often producing 50 to 75 stalks. 
In favorable locations it is a valuable soiling plant, and may 
be cut two or three times during a season. If left to grow 
until fall, it yields from 25 to 50 tons of green forage per 
acre. 



FARMERS GUIDE. 145 

TOBACCO. 

Soil. Tobacco is influenced more in quality than any 
other crop by the soil on which it is grown, and the fertilizer 
used. To produce a leaf of high quality, for cigar and 
smoking purposes, the soil should be light, and rich in 
vegetable matter. A low, rich and heavy soil will produce 
a very heavy crop, coarse and inferior. The fine gold leaf 
tobacco of North Carolina is grown on a light, gravelly 
soil and the Florida tobaccos are grown on light sandy 
soils. A red clay often produces a fine, rich, mahogany- 
colored tobacco, while black, alluvial soils generally pro- 
duce abundant, heavy, coarse, strong leaves. 

Fertilizer. The heaviest crops, usually not of the 
highest quality, are grown after clover. The second crop 
on such ground, if properly fertilized, is of better quality. 
Potash is of the highest importance, but to secure a leaf 
which will burn well, all forms of potash, such as kainit or 
muriate, containing chlorine, must be avoided. Sulphate 
of potash is generally preferred. Stable manure should be 
applied to the preceding crop rather than directly to the 
tobacco. For ordinary soils use, per acre, from 1,000 to 
I >5°° pounds of a fertilizer containing : 

Nitrogen, 4 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 9 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 5 " 

1600 pounds of leaves, and 1,300 pounds of stems, an 
average crop, remove from the soil 89 pounds of nitrogen, 
102 pounds of potash and 23 pounds of phosphoric acid. 



146 farmers' guide. 

The seventeenth report of the Connecticut Stations 
says : " Of the various potash salts, the double sulphate of 
potash and magnesia, (plot K) produced the largest total 
crop, 1,745 pounds, and the largest quantity of wrappers, 
940 pounds. 

Suggestions. There are many varieties of tobacco, and 
the selection should be made according to the soil on which 
they are to be grown, and the purpose for which to be used. 
The Alabama Station recommends : " For dark, heavy, 
rich shipping, the James River White Stew, James River 
Blue Pryor and Medley Pryor ; for sweet fillers, Sweet 
Orinoco and Flanagan ; for stemming into strips for 
European market, Hester, Tuckahoe and Big Orinoco ; for 
mahogany wrappers, Flanagan, Primus and Long-Leafed 
Gooch ; for cutters, Hyco, Yellow Orinoco, Granville 
Yellow and Yellow Pryor ; for yellow wrappers and fillers, 
Sterling, Granville, Whitestem, Yellow Orinoco, Havana 
and Yellow Pryor." White Burley is a favorite variety for 
limestone soils. The quality of the leaf of any of these 
varieties can be greatly modified in the curing process. It 
is not difficult to secure a good yield, but not so easy to 
cure it properly; this requires special knowledge and experi- 
ence. 

TOMATOES. 
Soil. Tomatoes grow in any good garden soil, or one 
which will yield good corn. For the earliest fruit the soil 
must be light and warm, but for a late crop a heavier soil 
is better, 




TOBACCO, UNFERTILIZED. EXPERIMENT FARM, SOUTHERN PINES, N. C. 




TOBACCO WITH COMPLETE FERTILIZER, POTASH, PHOSPHORIC ACID AND 
NITROGEN, EXPERIMENT FARM, SOUTHERN PINES, N. C 



FARMERS GUIDE. I49 

Fertilizing. The crop should be well fed with a com- 
plete fertilizer, and there is little danger that the soil will 
be made too rich. Use, per acre, from 800 to 1,200 pounds 
of a fertilizer containing : 

Nitrogen, ...... 4 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 6 " 

Available phosphoric acid, 7 " 

Suggestions. Tomato plants should be started in 
boxes of rich soil in a green house or sunny window of a 
warm room about ten weeks before they can be planted in 
the open air. When the seedlings have made the second 
pair of leaves, transplant to about two inches apart in other 
boxes. As soon as they begin to crowd one another, trans- 
plant 4 inches apart in a cold frame, in which expose them 
to the air during the day, and protect by sash or cloth- 
covered frames at night. Transplant to the field or garden 
when there is no danger of frost. Except in the north, 
seed can be sown in the open ground for late plants, which 
may be handled like cabbage plants. Where an early 
ripening is wanted the plants are tied to stakes, and 
pruned to single stems bearing from three to six clusters of 
fruit ; but for canning or a late crop, a heavier yield is 
secured by allowing the plants to fall on the ground, or to 
rest on pieces oi brush or blocks of wood. 



TREES AND SHRUBS IN NURSERY. 

Soil. A soil of medium texture, well supplied with 
humus and deeply worked, is best for general nursery pur- 



150 FARMERS GUIDE. 

poses. A fertile, clay loam which was several years culti- 
vated in grain, followed by a few years in sod, is in fine 
condition for growing trees. 

Fertilizer. A nursery on good soil requires very little 
nitrogenous manures, which, supplied in excess, produce 
rank and sappy wood that does not ripen well. Only suffi- 
cient nitrogen should be used to keep the trees thrifty. All 
hardwood trees are rich in potash, and must be well sup- 
plied with it, to make the firm and well-ripened growth 
essential to their health and longevity. Phosphoric acid is 
as necessary as nitrogen or potash. Use, per acre, from 
500 to 700 pounds of a fertilizer containing : 

Nitrogen, 3 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 8 " 

Available phosphoric acid, 7 " 
Suggestions. Deep plowing and subsoiling before 
planting are necessary to insure a satisfactory growth of 
trees. Rotation of tree and shrub crops is necessary, just 
as in growing grain. Shade and fruit trees should be fol- 
lowed by ornamental trees, and these, in turn, by ever- 
greens. After such a rotation, occupying from six to 
twelve years, it is better to use the land a few years for 
ordinary farm crops. 



TURNIPS, 

Soil. Turnips thrive best on a mellow loam, but will do 
well on any good garden soil not too heavy. Large crops 
are often grown even on freshly plowed sod. 



FARMERS GUIDE. 151 

Fertilizer. They must be grown rapidly to be of good 
quality, and hence require a liberal supply of nitrogenous 
fertilizer. Either cow or sheep manure is better than horse 
manure. When these are not to be had at less expense, 
use, per acre, from 400 to 600 pounds of a fertilizer contain- 
ing : 

Nitrogen, 2 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 5 u 

Available phosphoric acid, 7 " 

Suggestions. The flat-rooted, purple-top varieties make 
the quickest growth, and are preferred for quick maturing 
in the spring, also for fall planting where the crop is to be 
gathered before cold weather. Where they are to remain in 
the ground through the winter, as is common in the South, 
the globe varieties are more hardy and not injured by frost, 
which make the flat varieties corky and tasteless. 



VETCHES* 

Soil. The vetch does best on a rather heavy, moist 
loam, but will do well on moist clays, or any other soils not 
too light and sandy. 

Fertilizer. Use the same fertilizers as recommended 
for cow-peas. 

Suggestions. The hairy vetch (vicia villosa) a winter 
growing annual, seems to be at its best in the lower Miss- 
issippi Valley where crimson clover rarely succeeds. It 
should be sown in September or October. If to be used 
for grazing, winter tuft oats should be sown on the same 



152 FARMERS GUIDE. 

ground. By December the double crop gives fair grazing, 
and continues to improve until April, when stock should 
be taken off so that seed may mature. It is harvested in 
Mayor early June, after which the ground should be plowed 
for millet, cow-peas or some other summer crop, which will 
come off by October. Sufficient seed is usually left on the 
ground to reseed, and give another crop the following 
winter. In the north, winter vetch has proven hardy in 
localities where the crimson clover is almost always spring 
killed, and it must be regarded as a valuable forage crop 
where grown together with winter rye or wheat. This vetch 
and crimson clover are the most valuable winter growing 
legumes known, where they flourish. Both are fine for 
forage and can be grown when the land cannot be used for 
other crops, while either one is as valuable as the cow-pea 
for green manuring. 



VELVET BEAN. 

Soil. A rich, sandy loam is best ; even a soil very light 
and sandy is better than one wet and heavy. 

Fertilizer. Nitrogen is not needed, but phosphoric acid 
and potash should be given freely, as the plant is a rank 
grower and produces a heavy crop of seed. Use, per acre, 
from 300 to 600 pounds of a fertilizer containing : 
Available phosphoric acid, 5 per cent. 
Actual potash, .... 7 " 

Suggestions. The velvet bean, a plant of recent intro- 
duction, is suited only to the extreme southern part of the 




WHEAT ON POOR SOIL, UNFERTILIZED. T. B. LINDSAY, 
YIELD 8j^ BUSHELS PER ACRE. 



DOUGLAS, N. C, 




WHEAT ON POOR SOIL WITH COMPLETE FERTILIZER, POTASH, PHOSPHORIC 
ACID AND NITROGEN. T. B. LINDSAY, DOUGLAS, N. C. 
YIELD 20 BUSHELS PER ACRE. 



FARMERS GUIDE. 155 

country, where there are at least eight months without frost. 
In Florida and along the Gulf Coast, the vines grow 20 to 40 
feet in length, and yield more forage than can be secured 
from cow-peas, but they become so tangled in their growth 
that they are hard to cure. The chief value of the crop is 
for late grazing and green manuring. 



WHEAT* 

Soil. The best soil for winter wheat is a rather compact 
clay loam, well drained. Spring wheat prefers a lighter 
soil, and even one which is quite sandy may produce a 
good yield if properly fertilized. 

Fertilizer. In wheat growing, proper rotation of crops, 
is as important as heavy fertilizing. In the North, the best 
crop to precede wheat is red clover ; in the south, either 
red clover, melilotus or cow-peas. These crops should be 
grazed off and the ground plowed; not too deep, in August 
or September. On such ground little or no fertilizer is 
necessary. Use, per acre, from 300 to 600 pounds of a 
fertilizer containing : 

Nitrogen, 2 per cent. 

Actual potash, .... 6 " 
Available phosphoric acid, 8 " 

Bulletin No. 62 of the Maryland Station says that the 
fertilizer which has been found best for wheat at that 
station contains 2$ nitrogen 9$ available phosphoric acid, 
and 7 j$ potash. 



156 farmers' guide. 

Suggestions. In the southern wheat growing. regions 
the winter varieties succeed best, in the northern, spring 
varieties are more widely grown. . In the southern states, 
spring wheat is of little value, because of its likelihood of 
being killed by rust. Winter wheat should be sown about 
two months before the usual time of heavy frosts : spring 
wheat should be sown as early as the soil can be worked. 
Hundreds of tests on red and white, smooth and bearded 
varieties, show no constant differences in their yields or 
milling value. 



FARMERS GUIDE. 



T 57 



DISTANCES FOR PLANTING TREES, 

(in planting trees the greater distance should be 
given on the richer soils.) 

Apples 20 to 30 feet each way 

Pears (Standard) 20 

Pears (Dwarf) 12 

Quinces 15 

Peaches . . 18 

Plums 15 

Cherries 15 

Figs 12 

Japan Persimmons 15 

Mulberries 20 

Oranges (Sweet) 20 

Oranges (Japanese) 12 

Blackberries 6 by 4 

Raspberries 6 

Currants 5 

Gooseberries .... 5 " 3 

Strawberries (Hills) 36 x 18 inches 

Strawberries (matted rows) 48 x 12 " 

Grapes 8 x 8 to 10 x 12 feet 



25 


ii ti 


15 


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24 


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20 


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20 


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ii ii 


20 


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2 5 


a ii 


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a a 


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a 


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158 farmers' guide. 

USUAL DISTANCES FOR PLANTING 
VEGETABLES. 

(Bailey.) 

Asparagus, rows 3 to 4 feet apart, 1 to 2 feet apart in 
rows. 

Beans, bush, 2 to 3 feet apart, 1 foot apart in rows. 

Beans, pole, 3 to 4 feet each way. 

Beets, early, in drills 12 to 18 inches apart. 

Beets, late, in drills 2 to 3 feet apart. 

Cabbage, early, 16 x 28 inches to 18 x 30 inches. 

Cabbage, late, 2x3 feet, to z\ x 3^- feet. 

Carrots, in drills 1 to 2 feet apart. 

Cauliflower, 2x2 feet to 2 x 3 feet. 

Celery, rows 3 to 4 feet apart, 6 to 9 inches in row. 

Corn, sweet, rows 3 to 3^ feet apart, 9 inches to 2 feet 
in row. 

Cucumber, 4 to 5 feet each way. 

Egg-plant, sx 3 feet. 

Lettuce, 1 x 1^ feet or 2 feet. 

Melon, Musk, 5 to 6 feet each way. 

Melon, Water, 7 to 8 feet each way. 

Onions, in drills from 14 to 20 inches apart. 

Parsnip, in drills 18 inches to 3 feet apart. 

Peas, in drills early kinds, usually in double rows from 
6 to 9 inches apart ; late, in single rows 2 to 3 feet apart. 






FARMERS GUIDE. 159 



Pepper, 15 to 18 inches x 2 to 2\ feet. 
Potato, 10 to 18 inches x 2\ to 3 feet. 
Pumpkin, 8 to 10 feet each way. 
Radish, in drills 10 to 18 inches apart. 
Rhubarb, 2 to 4 feet x 4 feet. 
Salsify, in drills ij to 2 feet apart. 
Spinach, in drills 12 to 18 inches apart. 
Squash, 3 to 4 feet x 4 feet. 
Sweet Potato, 2 feet x 3 to 4 feet. 
Tomato, 4 feet x 4 to 5 feet. 
Turnip, in drills i|- to 2\ feet apart. 



PRESS OP 

UNZ & COMPANY, 

24 BROAOWAY, 

NEW YORK, 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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